


Phantom

by Eienias20



Series: Kruse and Jaynix [8]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: Crime, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Murder Mystery, Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-09-27 23:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10056287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eienias20/pseuds/Eienias20
Summary: A Serial Killer has brought havoc and terror to New Los Angeles. It's up to Kruse, Jaynix and the newly formed Investigative Crime Unit led by Mathias Solomon to uncover the identity of the ghostly murderer.





	1. A Ghost's Touch

Late afternoon came to New Los Angeles, finding Kruse headed towards the BLADE Barracks, almost bumping into a few people along the way. The Harrier had been hard at work these last few days and it was very clearly starting to wear on him.

Entering their barracks, Kruse could barely stifle a long and powerful yawn. Rubbing his eyes he continued moving, Elma spotting him and greeting him. Leaning down he kisses her on the cheek before sitting across from her.

"My. It's barely past the afternoon and you look like you're ready for bed."

Kruse shrugged. "I was out overnight. You know this."

Elma chuckled "Indeed I do. So why not head to bed instead of sitting here? I think you've earned it."

"He's hungry."

The pair looked over to Jaynix who was cooking lunch and whistling to herself. Turning, her red eyes caught sight of the couple. Kruse gave her a small smile.

"She knows me very well."

Elma shook her head as Jaynix approached them, sliding a plate in front of the Reclaimer.

"You're gonna have to be patient Kruse. I was only cooking for the two of us as in me and you're wonderful girlfriend Elma. Not an exhausted Harrier."

The man chuckled as Jaynix made her way over to the stovetop.

"C'mon Sis. Really? Have mercy!"

Kruse then looked back at Elma who had forked a piece of chicken and was holding it out to him. With a silent thank you he took it and ate it, letting out a relieved sigh.

"Ever the amazing chef you are, Sis."

Jaynix turned back to the pair "Next time. I'm making spaghetti. That's something you lovebirds will really enjoy."

* * *

A few minutes later the three were now seated, eating from their own plates and chatting.

"Did I do something to upset you, Sis?"

Jaynix smiled at Kruse.

"Not at all, Bro. I just like pushing your buttons."

Kruse nodded, a small laugh escaping Elma.

"I figured you'd realize this Kruse. She does it all the time."

The Harrier took another bite before shrugging.

"I am pretty tired. Can't really feel the sarcasm I suppose."

After a short silence, the trio heard a beep. Not sure from where all three of them pulled out their comm devices, Kruse finding that he was the one getting a message.

"Solomon?"

"Who?"

Kruse looked to Jaynix and cleared his throat.

"Mathias Solomon. He's the head investigator here in New LA. Think of him as a super Mediator. His office the Investigative Crime Unit is part of the new infrastructure Chausson is putting in place to make New LA less of a…I don't know…less of a whatever we are right now and shift it more towards an actual city with real civil service and government. He did say that it was only after the Ganglion were defeated and the Lifehold reclaimed that his job as Director General would begin."

Elma nodded "And true to his word, he's been working nonstop. The construction crews have finally finished connecting all the roads in New LA and he's close to unveiling the next step in man's continued survival here on Mira."

Jaynix thought for a few moments before snapping her fingers. "Expansion."

Kruse and Elma looked to each other, confused.

"How do I know that? Alexa kinda blabbed it to me."

Elma shook her head "Of course."

"In her defense, she felt really bad about it. She got all dorky and adorable and told me to forget what I heard. You two know you can trust me though. Right? I won't tell a soul. More importantly, what does this Mathias Solomon want?"

Kruse took a few more bites before returning his attention to his comm device and reading the rest of Solomon's message.

"He wants me to join him and his assistant Rueben Torrez in an ongoing investigation of a…a serial killer…"

Elma stopped mid bite, placing her fork back on the table and watching Kruse. Jaynix looked at her warily before staring at Kruse. His change was subtle…but she could see it. He didn't look tired anymore, he didn't have his lazy smile or the glow in his eyes. He seemed…angry.

"Kruse."

He looked up at Elma, who reached over and placed her hand on his. Letting out a long breath he nodded.

"From what Solomon is saying, this guy they're dealing with…the Phantom…is a serious problem…did either of you know about this? I've been out a lot these last few days so-"

Elma nodded "I got back not too long ago and heard about it from Vandham but on Chausson's insistence we left it to Solomon and his investigative team to handle it. Chausson is pretty adamant in getting all of us to follow the new hierarchy…and there is a lot of BLADE work we all still have to do. During the Lifehold Incident it was understandable that we just did whatever job needed to be done. But the way the Director General sees it, we need order."

Jaynix remained silent as Kruse put his comm device away.

"Regardless, Solomon is personally asking for my help and I can't let this serial killer continue his rampage here in New LA. Whoever this Phantom is…I'm going to find him."

Kruse stood up and began leaving the barracks, Elma close behind, placing a hand on his shoulder and turning him to face her.

"You know I'd be right there with you if I could…"

Jaynix watched Kruse's anger vanish, the friendly face she knew returning as he addressed Elma.

"I know. But like you said. We have a lot of BLADE work to do and other vital pieces of the White Whale still need finding. If anyone can do it, I know you can."

Elma smiled "Same goes for you. Good luck Kruse."

She leaned in and kissed him, the Harrier smiling before taking off.

Elma returned to her seat, noting that Jaynix had an odd expression on her face.

"What's wrong?"

Jaynix gestured in the direction Kruse left.

"I hardly see him so angry…in battle he's a completely different person but this is the first time I saw his…warrior persona come out like that…"

Elma could only nod.

"You're observant. Moments like these make it clear you trained under General Kumon."

The pair sat in silence as Elma thought over what to say.

"Kruse is…how do I put this…he's an idealist. It comes with his not having a memory of the White Whale or Earth. He only understood what he saw before him. All of us, the remains of humanity struggling to survive in an alien world and hostile Xenoforms doing everything in their power to kill us all. He had a very black and white view of the world. Those of us in NLA were the ones he protected and those who harmed us where the ones he slew. I appreciated his simple outlook early on but I was also there when his beliefs were tested…"

Jaynix waited as Elma thought back.

"Alex. Powell. The Celeste Three. Ornella. Fraisie. Justin. Gus. Dale Gibbon…humans. BLADEs. Individuals who stood against the many for themselves. Racism. Revenge. Greed. Religion. They used the foundations of human conflict to excuse their murderous rampages. Every time Kruse solved one of these cases…I saw his faith in humanity die…"

Jaynix shook her head "No way…Kruse? Losing faith? I just…really?"

Elma gave Jaynix a sad smile. "Yes. He tried to understand why things like that had to happen…but in trying to understand them he only found himself at even more of a loss. As he explained it to me once. There is only a few of us left, humans. Why would any one of us want to kill any of the rest of us? He believed in the human spirit and our desire to survive…he believed that these extraordinary circumstances would bind us all together…I believed that once as well…as did the Coalition and the ECP Board but…"

Jaynix sighed "I see…you know what the 3rd Soldier Unit did in the Lawless Sectors, right Elma? I saw up close and personal the worst trash humanity had to offer. I slit countless throats and splattered brains across countless pavements. Despite my best efforts…these walking shit stains still made it onto the Arks. Hmph…if I'd run into any of these fucks…I'd lose a little faith too."

There was another silence before Elma spoke up again "What really did it though…what really brought out the anger that Kruse rarely utilizes…was…"

"The traitor."

Elma nodded "Kruse wanted nothing more than to kill him. To this day he wishes that he did. He wishes that he'd shoved past Lin and run his blade through that man…he and Lin were…not close after that. Not for a while."

Jaynix's eyes widened "How do I not know this? I've been with you guys for-"

"We try not to talk about him. It only upsets Lin and enrages Kruse. So we never bring it up anymore."

Jaynix crossed her arms "So, Kruse has a natural disdain for murderers and traitors. Especially if they're human."

Elma nodded "Yes. And even more so if they're BLADEs."

* * *

Kruse stood near the crime scene he was asked to come to. He saw the Head Detective standing not too far looking at a report. He wore simple gray hat, a beige trench coat over his white suit and had a cigarette in his mouth.

"Solomon."

Looking up from his report, Head Detective of the New Los Angeles Investigative Crime Unit, Mathias Solomon spotted Kruse. A smirk on his face he breathed out a cloud of smoke and approached the Harrier, stretching out his hand. The pair shook as he spoke.

"Hey. Glad you could come out."

Solomon gestured Kruse over towards another man.

"Torrez! Walk Kruse through what we found."

Assistant Detective of the NLA Crime Unit, Rueben Torrez looked up at Kruse, standing from his kneeling position he addressed Solomon.

"Are you sure? Is he a member of the Crime Unit? I've not seen him before."

Solomon chuckled "No he isn't but if Chausson's paperwork becomes a pain in the ass we'll just pencil him down as an…unaffiliated observer."

Torrez shrugged at that and gestured to the body. Kruse looked the individual over.

"Isn't that Raymond?"

Torrez looked to Kruse "You know the deceased?"

"Yeah. Raymond Penn. Harrier. I ran a few missions with him…"

Torrez sighed "Well I'm sorry you had to see him this way. A passerby found Penn about an hour ago. Dead already. As you can see he had his arm sawed off and while that caused a lot of the trauma the cause of death was catastrophic protoplasmic loss. The fluids that run through all our bodies. Our mims. He lost so much of it the mim shut down and he died."

"That's a fancy way of saying he bled out." Solomon finished, putting the cigarette he was waving around back in his mouth. Sighing, another cloud of smoke escaped his mouth before he asked.

"You know of the Phantom, Kruse?"

"I've been out of town a lot. Just heard about this killer from your message and what Elma could tell me."

Solomon grinned "Right. Your girlfriend."

Torrez's eyes widened "Wait. You're the guy with Elma?"

Kruse nodded "Yeah. Why?"

"No reason just…wow…how did that happen?"

Solomon shook his head "No time for romantic dramas or a tale of young love. Serial Killer. Dead body. Get your head in the game Torrez."

The assistant nodded before returning to his paperwork as Solomon addressed Kruse.

"This sick fuck has earned the name 'the Phantom' because he commits his murders in the dead of night and no one ever sees him. Penn is the fifth individual he's murdered and the third BLADE. All of his victims died via catastrophic protoplasmic loss. Which means, he bleeds them out overnight…you'd think we would hear some screaming but this guy is a ghost. A phantom."

Kruse nodded "Fitting…"

"The Unit thought so too. Anyway. I called you out here because now we're up to five bodies and I'm about ready to turn in my badge. I've made no progress and at this rate there are going to be five more bodies before I make any sustainable lead."

Kruse looked at Penn's corpse then back to Solomon. "So you need a fresh pair of eyes? Why did you think of me first?"

Solomon laughed "Really? The guy who took down the Celeste Three? The guy who found their fourth member? The guy who hunted down the last crazed killer the Blood Lobster? Why the fuck would I go to anyone else?"

"I didn't do that alone."

"No. But you were there for every single one. I don't know if you were just born for this sort of thing but I know you can handle it. And if it was just luck…well…we really need the luck and we really need the help. Torrez! How fucked are we otherwise?"

"Cataclysmically fucked sir."

"See? Cataclysmically? It's like the Crime Unit is Earth and this phantom fucker is the Ganglion. We've solved quite a few disputes and crimes but this one is just getting away from us. And we can't let that happen."

Kruse nodded to Solomon. "No. We can't."

The Head Detective smiled "So. You're in?"

Kruse gave him a look and without a word, he nodded.


	2. A Specter's Clue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kruse is hard at work with "the Phantom Case" but what about his sister, Jaynix?

“Kruse. What’s the plan for today?”

Walking through the commercial district, Kruse looked down at his comm device which was displaying Mathias Solomon’s image.

“Revisiting crime scenes. Giving them a fresh look.”

“Did the autopsy reports and interview scripts do anything for you?”

Kruse sighed, shaking his head.

“Five victims. There is a lot of crisscross in terms of…odd similarities and stark differences but nothing sticks out to me. Like I said I’m not really a detective.”

“Maybe not but if any of us are going to stumble onto something, I imagine it’d be you. Anyway I’ve got my own tasks today, as does Torrez. We’ll meet back up at the Crime Unit building…hopefully not with blanks like we have been these last few days.”

Kruse nodded.

“Hopefully. Talk to you then, Solomon.”

“One more thing! Did you get the standard issue sidearm? I know you have your own gear but for operating in the city…this and a knife should suffice.”

Kruse felt the pistol along his side and nodded.

“I’m good. No worries Solomon. I can handle myself.”

“I figured as much. Best of luck.”

With that, the detective hung up. Kruse looked ahead briefly to see his destination drawing closer before glancing back down at his comm device.

Elma left the previous day, several Reclaimers were gearing up for a big retrieval hunt and she wanted to be a part of it. Even so, she made sure to message him whenever she had some free time. Every so often they chatted, it made him feel much better until she started picking up on how tired he sounded.

There was no time for rest, not when a crazed killer is on the loose. When they get found and things go back to normal, then. But only then…

“Heh…I’m starting to sound like my sister…”

* * *

“Jaynix.”

“Hm?”

“You okay?”

Jaynix rolled over in bed, coming face to face with Alexa. A smile forming on the Interceptor’s face.

“I’m fine.”

Alexa smiled back.

“No. You’re not.”

Jaynix chuckled, leaning in and kissing Alexa.

“I’m in bed with you…what do I have to be upset about?”

“You tell me.”

There was a short silence as Jaynix rolled onto her back.

“Well…it’s Kruse…”

Alexa moved closer, leaning against her girlfriend.

“What’s wrong?”

Jaynix sighed, moving her hand about making gestures as if this wasn’t bothering her.

“It’s this whole Phantom thing.”

“The Serial Killer? He got recruited by that Solomon guy to help with the investigation right?”

Jaynix glanced at Alexa and laughed “You really do listen to everything I say. Even when I’m mumbling nonsense.”

“I love it when you mumble nonsense.”

The pair shared a laugh. Jaynix letting out a long sigh.

“He’s been looking into this whole thing like crazy. He’s hardly ever at the barracks and when he is, he has his nose buried in some autopsy reports…he visits crime scenes all the time…he’s a mess. When the Phantom strikes next I’m worried about what he’ll do…”

Jaynix rolled over onto her side, looking away from Alexa. “I’m worried about my Brother.”

Alexa frowned, she hated hearing Jaynix so sad and lost. She then looked at Jaynix’s exposed back seeing the countless scars all along it, many caused by Indigens but just as many caused by the countless surgeries Jaynix went in for.

Bringing up one of her hands, Alexa began tracing several of the scars, the Interceptor shivering in response and quietly saying her name.

Ever since Alexa first saw them, they’ve always drawn so many emotions out of the Outfitter. Thinking about all the suffering Jaynix has been through. Regardless of what it was, Alexa knew she’d always be there to do what she could. Bringing her hand to a stop she spoke.

“Help him.”

“Hm?”

“If you’re this worried about his health and wellbeing…help him. Join him on his investigation. Even if you don’t think you can contribute, you can at least watch him and make sure he eats and sleeps…he listens to you. You are his ‘older’ Sister after all.”

Jaynix rolled back over to face Alexa.

“You know…that’s the most obvious answer to any dilemma I’ve ever had. Thank you for being the smart one, Alexa.”

“Heh. Well if you’re the smoking hot one I have to bring something to this relationship.”

The pair shared another laugh, Jaynix leaning in and kissing Alexa, bringing a hand to the Outfitter’s side and squeezing.

“Alright, alright. Aren’t you gonna go help Kruse?”

“That can wait.”

“Jaynix…”

The Interceptor chuckled before standing from the bed and walking towards the door.

“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back.”

Jaynix put her hand on the door when she heard Alexa clear her throat. Looking back, Jaynix watched her oddly for a few moments before realizing…

“I should put on some clothes first…shouldn’t I?”

* * *

Jaynix walked through New LA looking at her comm device. She had asked Kruse where he was and he responded a few minutes ago, giving her a location in the commercial district. She then got a message from Alexa wishing her luck, topped off with a lot of hearts.

“What did I ever do to deserve you?”

Jaynix put her comm device away and saw Kruse kneeling in an alley, no doubt it was one of the previous crime scenes.

“Hey, Bro.”

“Hey, Sis…did you need something?”

She came to a stop next to him and waited till he stood up and faced her.

“Kruse.”

Hearing his name, he knew she was being serious.

“Back then…when I was having my episodes you’d always be there to take care of me as best as you could. You could see the days I was most tired and when I skipped eating…you. Elma. Alexa. Irina…and of course Frye…you guys watch out for me and I figure it’s my turn.”

“Sis, I’m fine.”

Jaynix couldn’t help but laugh “Never thought I’d hear that from you. You’re tired, Kruse. It doesn’t matter that we’re mims. We need sleep…believe me, I know that better than anyone else.”

Kruse watch Jaynix look down, no doubt recalling her worst incidents.

“Right. Of course. I’m sorry that I worried you, Sis.”

Kruse yawned and rubbed his eyes as Jaynix spoke.

“I’m here to help. Both with you and with this investigation.”

Kruse waited a few moments before asking “What?”

“Yeah. I’ve decided to become a…what is your position?”

“Unaffiliated observer.”

“Yeah! That. I wanna help you out. Make sure you don’t keep forgetting to take care of yourself. Sleep. Eat. Whatever that entails but I also want to help you find this guy. I know how much it means to you.”

Kruse crossed his arms and smiled “Well then…I can’t very well say no, can I?”

“You could. I’d just ignore you.”

The pair shared a laugh before Jaynix gestured around.

“So. What relevance does this Commercial District alley hold to the Phantom investigation?”

Kruse took out his comm device, clicking through a few documents and sending them to Jaynix before pointing to a spot in the alley.

“This is where the first victim, a civilian woman was found. In the early hours of the morning she was here missing a leg. Dead via catastrophic protoplasmic loss…it was the first crime committed by the Phantom or at the very least the first one we know about. Being the first I was curious if anything was missed since it was the Crime Unit’s first go at this guy. Or maybe the Phantom fumbled something but so far, nothing.”

Jaynix looked at her comm device, sliding through the gallery of crime scene photos and reports.

“Just a civilian…what did she ever do to him?”

Kruse shook his head, he’d been asking himself that same question the whole time he’s been here.

“Probably nothing. Serial killers are a bizarre bunch…sticking to a pattern. As I’ve learned from looking over the five bodies it’s clear that the Phantom’s pattern is body amputation and blood loss…but his victims are random. Men. Women. Civilian. BLADE. Doesn’t seem to matter to him…”

Jaynix nodded at that as she and Kruse walked through the alley and examined whatever they could. There wasn’t much if anything but Kruse was convinced that if they could find any small thing it’d be here.

“Back on Earth I took down a lot of messed up serial killers…Eren Hills, our strategist was always able to figure out their patterns and pin down who they were all on her own. She was one of the smartest people I ever knew…earned her nickname as the All Seeing Strategist.”

Kruse smiled, glad that Jaynix had indeed become more open with sharing little bits about the 3rd Soldier Unit.

“What did she look like if you…don’t mind me asking?”

Jaynix grinned, the pair continuing to move through the alley as she spoke.

“Always prim and proper. She loved wearing suits. Ties. Almost always solid colors. She had blond hair she tied up and it usually fell over her shoulder. She wore glasses but she always found them inconvenient so she designed her own analysis visor to act as her eyes. She made sure she could change the visor color to match her attire. She was always concerned with how she presented herself. I always told her she looked great for that reason.”

Kruse nodded at this, getting a clearer image of this woman.

“So…she was your unit’s tactician?”

Jaynix nodded as she kneeled down, trying to get a closer look at something.

“Yep. I gave a bunch of orders to my squad of soldiers and recruits when I led missions but when the 3rd Soldier Unit was all together, she made the calls. That said, she could tussle with the best of us and let me tell you, seeing a tactician dressed finer than most businessmen and wearing a high tech visor, round house kicking some guy off a the 20th floor of a derelict building…it was a sight to behold.”

Jaynix picked something up as Kruse chuckled.

“I can only imagine. So her title was the all Seeing Strategist…were you the Fiery Corporal even back then?”

“Yeah…I earned it for roasting my enemies alive…oil and fire grenade combo…Kruse what’s this?”

“Oil and fire. Geez…that-”

Kruse was cut off and turned to see Jaynix holding a black scrap of cloth. He tilted his head before taking it from her and giving it a quick once over. There wasn’t much to see on it but…was this something?

“Maybe it just got blown in here by a breeze…maybe it was part of the woman’s outfit…”

He handed it back to Jaynix who pocketed it.

“I’ll hold onto it just in case…Kruse. We should head back.”

Nodding Kruse followed Jaynix out of the alley.

“Where are Solomon and Rueben? Did they hire you just so you could solve this on your own?”

Kruse shook his head “Solomon is interviewing friends and family again looking for common enemies while Rueben is at BLADE HQ looking through personnel dossiers to find something linking the histories of these victims together. Last I heard they were drawing blanks but hopefully when we reconvene-”

The pair was cut off by Kruse’s comm device going off. Taking it out he began reading the report, Jaynix watching him grow upset and angry. She knew it could only mean.

“A sixth victim?”

Kruse looked to her and nodded.


	3. A Wraith's Trail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Phantom has left a sixth victim. But with this latest murder, things begin to come to light and leads form. Kruse, Jaynix, Solomon and Torrez hope this is the beginning and that they can come ever closer to catching the Phantom.

“Shit. Fuck. Shitfuck! Six bodies.”

Solomon took his hat off, running a hand through his brown hair. Pulling out another cigarette he took a deep breath in before letting out a cloud of smoke.

He looked over the last message from Torrez, he said he was on his way, just left BLADE Tower. Looking up from his comm he saw Kruse and a red haired woman approaching.

“Aren’t you the one that went nuts?”

Jaynix’s eyes widened, Kruse stepping in front of her.

“Solomon. Don’t talk to my Sister that way.”

The Detective cursed and bowed his head “Sorry. I was a passive observer of that whole fiasco…shouldn’t have voiced my opinion on it…it just…came out…I’d blame the investigation and stress but…”

Kruse eased back as Solomon apologized again.

“If you want to try again my name is Jaynix.”

“I will take that retry. Hello Jaynix. Mathias Solomon. Head Detective and all that…what brings you to my crime scene?”

“She wants to come aboard and help in the investigation. Don’t know how much you know about the 3rd Soldier unit but they have experience with this whole serial killer thing.”

Solomon nodded to Kruse “Kumon’s team…I know of them. Only stories.”

Jaynix smirked “I can assure you, they are all true.”

Torrez joined them “Sir! Kruse! I got the Intel our team has gathered on the victim. He is a BLADE. Prospector. Found by…”

Torrez trailed off upon laying eyes on Jaynix “You’re gorgeous.”

Jaynix laughed at that as Torrez grew red and shook his head “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. You just made a far better first impression with those words than your boss did.”

Solomon apologized again as Kruse gestured for Torrez to continue.

The assistant detective led the three others to the back of the Industrial District where several other Crime Unit specialists were working.

“Erick Fern. Prospector. Found about half an hour ago by an Industrial service worker. As you can see he’s had his eyes gouged out…”

Solomon stared at the body, shaking his head.

“Sad. Brutal…but there is no way he bled out enough from that.”

Torrez nodded to Solomon “I doubt it. But early reports seem to indicate that was the case.”

Jaynix tilted her head “You think this guy could be the Phantom’s first victim? Maybe the killer held him somewhere…upside down or something until he bled out.”

Solomon crossed his arms “Not a bad hypothesis…we’ll have to wait for the lab to get ahold of his body. Torrez. Get in touch with Benton and get ready to transport Mr. Fern.”

Torrez nodded and began making the call as Jaynix spoke up.

“Benton…as in Doctor Edwin Benton?”

“Yes. He’s running the MMC part of this operation. Storing the bodies of the victims and giving complete and detailed autopsy reports. Do you know him?”

Jaynix could only nod.

_“Oh yeah…I know him…”_

Solomon saw Jaynix’s change in mood and Kruse’s. Deciding to stay out of it he gestured.

“I’m going to interview the service worker who found the body…see if he can tell me anything else. You two…do whatever it is you can do and thank you for your help.”

Throwing his hat back on, Solomon walked away.

“Jaynix-”

“I’m good…thanks Brother…let’s get to work.”

He nodded and the pair began searching the area for anything out of the ordinary. Any small thing that could help them.

She wasn’t sure how long she was looking but Jaynix could feel her eyes straining to make out anything amongst the pavement. Sighing she turned and walked towards the body. She looked at the empty eye sockets, sure she had her right eye burned off by electricity years ago but she couldn’t even begin to imagine how it felt to have both of them just torn out like that.

Kruse joined her “Anything?”

She just shook her head as he kneeled down next to the body, shaking his head.

“Six. What does this lunatic hope to gain?”

Jaynix remained silent, Kruse looked like he was going to say something else only to have his attention drawn elsewhere. Reaching out he grabbed a hold of the Prospector’s arm and brought up his hand.

“Hey! Torrez said no one is allowed to touch the body until Benton’s team gets here!”

Jaynix yelled at the Crime Unit specialist to shut up as Kruse opened the man’s hand to find a black scrap of cloth.

Quickly, Jaynix kneeled down and pulled out the one she found. The pair held them close, they definitely came from the same source.

“He must’ve fought with his assailant. With the Phantom. Ripped this from the killer’s cloak or robe…”

Jaynix nodded “This is great! Right?”

Kruse smiled bringing a smile to Jaynix’s own face. Her brother seemed hopeful again.

Standing they turned as Solomon approached.

“What’s with the expressions? Did something happen?”

The pair showed Solomon the black cloth pieces with Kruse speaking.

“We found one of these at the scene of the first murder and the other in the grip of Erick Fern. Chances are the Phantom wears a sort of black robe to stay relatively invisible in the dead of night.”

Solomon cracked a smile “Well shit. This may very well be our first lead. Nice work you two.”

Kruse nodded his head as Jaynix asked “So what now? How can we use these?”

“Almost everything we have is created courtesy of the Integrated Production Plant. It requires work orders, voiced requests and paperwork from any human or Xeno individual to the heads of companies and Arms Manufacturers in NLA. For that reason I doubt the Phantom would be foolish enough to leave a paper trail…which means the cloth was most likely fabricated by materials originating from this planet. Mira.”

Kruse crossed his arms “Which means the Phantom has to have gathered the materials needed and brought them to someone to fashion a cloak.”

“Indeed. It’s also possible that the cloak was fabricated by the Phantom. If that’s the case we’ll need to track someone down with the skill to not only do that, but to find the materials needed. Which means we’ll need to run this cloth by textile store owners to see exactly what it’s made of. With that information on hand we’ll be able to do much more. This is a very good lead.”

Kruse handed off the cloth to Solomon “Think you can handle it with the one?”

“Don’t trust me enough for both of em?”

Kruse shook his head “It’s not that…but if something happens. If you lose it or…something, its best that someone else carries the other.”

Solomon nodded as he pocketed the cloth “That’s a fantastic point.”

The three turned as Torrez joined them, leading a squad of MMC doctors.

“Torrez and I can handle the rest of the crime scene. If you two want to get a better look at this body feel free to head over to the MMC and give it and the other five a look over. Again. Maybe you’ll catch something that we didn’t.”

Solomon tipped his hat to them and walked away.

“Have you looked at the bodies?”

Kruse turned to Jaynix “Yeah. Early on. Nothing stood out to me. But you did find the first cloth piece so maybe you’ll pick up on something.”

Jaynix smiled “Maybe…I know you want to keep this up but we really should head back to the barracks. You need rest and some food. I’ll go to the MMC and look into this. Fill you in on what I find. If anything.”

Kruse let out a long sigh “Rest sounds good…afterwards I can ask Torrez if I can join him at BLADE Tower. I can’t imagine how much paperwork he has to scrub through. With any luck, together we can find…something.”

Jaynix nodded as the pair left the crime scene.

* * *

“Hey Jaynix…how are things going with the whole Phantom thing?”

“Much better actually…we found some clues pretty much right after I joined the investigation. I think I’m a good luck charm.”

Jaynix chuckled before realizing Alexa had fallen silent.

“Alexa? What’s wrong?”

“You’ll be fine. Right?”

Jaynix came to a stop, the MMC not too far from her. She turned away and sat down.

“I’ll be fine Alexa.”

“…it just…I know we’ve all dealt with worse but this serial killer…I’m just worried about you.”

“And I love that you are, Alexa. I’m with Kruse and the Investigators Solomon and Torrez. We’re all able bodied. We’re all armed. Pistol. Knife. We’re fine. I promise.”

Jaynix waited for a few moments as Alexa thought about what to say.

“I know. I know, Jaynix. I’ve seen firsthand how strong you are…”

“And you’ve seen firsthand how weak I can be. I get why you’re worried, I really do Alexa. But I’ll be fine, remember...I'll do anything for you."

Alexa took a deep breath before speaking.

“I know. I believe. I love you, Jaynix.”

“I love you too, Alexa. I’ll see you tonight.”

Standing, Jaynix put the comm device away and entered the MMC. She ignored the looks all the doctors were giving her. Many of which conveyed the ‘her again?’ look, as if they expected her to walk in.

“Hey Harriet.”

“Jaynix. Are you well?”

“Yes. I’m not here for me, I’m here to see Benton. I’m helping with the Phantom investigation.”

Harriet nodded “Is that so? Very well. Let me see if he is in.”

Jaynix thanked her before turning around and leaning against the desk. Realizing the time she reached into her pocket and pulled out a bottle. With a sigh she held it over her palm, taking the two capsules that fell out and swallowing them.

She stared at the bottle in silence before looking back up, noticing more doctors passing by, one of which was giving her a very specific look. Narrowing her eyes she raised her hand giving him the middle finger as well as mouthing a very aggressive ‘fuck you’ causing the man to jump and walk away.

“Jaynix. Please stop antagonizing the workers. They-”

“Come on Harriet. I know they all talk about me. They’re sick of repairing me. You should get better and more respectful doctors. I can’t help that I’m unstable. No matter what I do.”

“I know Jaynix but-”

“Then until they respect that. Until they respect me, I owe them no respect in return. Not a thing.”

Jaynix put the bottle back in her pocket as Harriet let out a heavy sigh. Despite her comments she knew that Jaynix was right. Turning around she gestured past her desk and towards Doctor Benton’s office.

Thanking her, Jaynix walked in. The doctor looked up to see her and barely held in a groan before standing and leading Jaynix further into the building. They soon came across a line of six stretchers. Benton pointing towards a table covered in folders.

“Hard copies of the autopsy reports are right there. Fern’s is incredibly preliminary…stick around I’ll have a much more detailed one later…regardless, find something and…”

Benton trailed off, turning to leave when Jaynix spoke.

“Find something and get out? Gee. Thanks Benton.”

He looked at her, thinking to say something else before deciding against it and walking away. Taking a deep breath, Jaynix approached the first body.

“Okay. Show me what you’ve got.”

* * *

“Kruse. You look rested.”

“I feel rested. I trust you got my request, Torrez?”

The man nodded and began walking through BLADE HQ with Kruse close behind.

“The dossiers on all military folk who boarded the White Whale are here. Now I know what you’re thinking…why is it all paper copies? Why don’t we have a database where we can just input a name and get what we need? Well…we do.”

Torrez gestured to the Master Terminal Computer at the back of the room, a giant holographic screen displaying the faces of various BLADEs and civilians. A keyboard was at its base as well as several more complicated gadgets.

“The problem is that with all the hustle and bustle of finding the Lifehold, archiving and categorizing individual dossiers wasn’t really all that high on BLADE HQ’s to do list. Can’t say I blame them. They’ve been scanning a lot of files into the databank but I gave it a look and none of our victims are in there so…”

Torrez then gestured to the countless boxes overflowing with papers and folders.

“One more piece of bad news. The military data is all here but civilian data is a bit sparser with most of it still being out there in the wild, there is still a lot of White Whale debris all over Mira and given the vastness of the ocean…”

“We probably won’t ever find it all. Or at the very least it’ll take years.”

Torrez nodded at Kruse’s statement.

“Yeah. Elma and I work as hard as we can on the White Whale reclaiming front, that’s what she’s been doing this last month. Normally I’d be helping her out but with everything BLADE still needs to do, sometimes the best strategy is divide and conquer.”

Torrez walked towards a box and began searching “Just like Solomon and I.”

There was a short silence before Torrez spun around “No! No, no, no. Not like that. We’re not. I’m not…no I meant as in a professional sense!”

Kruse approached a box of his own while laughing “Hey, its fine. I didn’t assume anything. I got what you were saying.”

Torrez narrowed his eyes “Is that sarcasm?”

“Hm? No.”

“Is that?”

“No! Torrez. I’m serious!”

The man let out a long breath “Okay. Sorry just…I don’t…roll that way.”

“Neither do I. Don’t worry about it.”

Torrez gestured to the boxes he was currently working on. Kruse nodding. With that they began searching. They had six names. This was going to take a while.

Eventually the silence was broken by Torrez.

“So…um…Jaynix…”

Kruse shook his head “We can talk about whatever but I am not going to help you hook up with my Sister.”

“What? What in the world gave you that idea?”

Kruse could only laugh, placing some irrelevant forms aside.

“She has a girlfriend.”

“Oh. I see…so it wouldn’t matter?”

Kruse shrugged “From what I can gather, Jaynix is open to just about anything. She definitely has a preference for women however. Hell, anytime she and Ga Buidhe are together, the sexual tension is pretty unbearable.”

Torrez raised an eyebrow “Ga Buidhe? As in the Wrothian second in command?”

Kruse looked at Torrez and nodded, which quite frankly, blew the investigator’s mind.

“That’s…incredible. Are they…together?”

Kruse shook his head “No. But being with Alexa hasn’t turned off Jaynix’s rampant flirting. She is a very expressive woman after all.”

Torrez nodded as Kruse pulled out another form. Irrelevant.

Except…something about it seemed strange. Bringing the folder closer he read the name again.

Assam Constantine.

Narrowing his eyes, Kruse opened the folder.

Assam Constantine. Scientist. Researcher. Head architect of the L-002’s framework as well as several other Ark Ships. Leader of an elite technical engineering team known as Alpha Wolf. Turning the pages Kruse found a photo of the man. He didn’t seem familiar…but he couldn’t look away.

Then there was a close up of his face. Along his left eye was a blue tattoo just like the one Kruse had. Exactly like it. Slamming the folder shut, Kruse found himself struggling to catch his breath, turning he walked out of the room, Torrez staring after him, confused.

* * *

First victim, May Alstead, civilian, missing a leg.

Second victim, Geoff Parker, Curator, missing both legs.

Third victim, Misha Idling, Pathfinder, missing an arm.

Fourth victim, Evan Torre, civilian, missing both arms and both legs.

Fifth victim, Raymond Penn, Harrier, missing an arm.

Sixth victim, Erick Fern, Prospector, missing both eyes.

“Is he trying to construct some monstrosity?”

Jaynix thought back to Earth. To a deranged man who tore his victims apart and stitched their pieces together, creating monuments of flesh. What could be made with five legs, four arms and two eyes beyond something absolutely hideous? Where do the limbs go?

As pointed out to her, the bodies were always found. Amputated and bled out elsewhere before being dumped around New Los Angeles.

Why?

Jaynix turned the bodies over, looking for anything. Anything small, minor, easily missed.

“Hm? Now what could this be?”

Leaning in she took a closer look at Erick Fern’s back. In the middle of his back there seemed to be a circular imprint. At the very center of it was a wound that had just closed up. She recognized the shape of the imprint and the seal of the wound. Something was jammed into the man’s back and then healed with a field med kit. A patch.

Moving to Raymond Penn, she turned him over and looked in the same spot along his back. There was no imprint but she could swear she saw the smallest hint of something healing in the center of where the imprint would be.

“Why were they treated for a puncture wound…?”

Walking over to the autopsy reports she began to flip through them. Something was definitely up here.

“Erick Fern. Eyes missing. Catastrophic protoplasmic loss. Puncture wound. Okay…”

Flipping to Penn’s autopsy she found the part about his arm, blood loss and again, puncture wound.

“He did have one.”

She then flipped to the fourth victim.

Puncture wound.

Third. Second. First.

All had puncture wounds in their backs, all most likely treated by a field patch. No. Definitely treated by a field patch.

“Benton!”

* * *

“Elma.”

“Hey Kruse…it’s so good to hear your voice.”

“Same here…how are you?”

“I’m fine. Yelv is on my team, it’s never dull with him around.”

Kruse chuckled “Don’t I know it.”

“He still manages to surprise me with many of the things he says. Odd fellow but very entertaining.”

The pair shared a laugh.

“Kruse. I can hear something in your voice. What’s wrong?”

Kruse sighed.

“You can read me far too well.”

“Yes but I feel like you called me specifically because you wanted to ask me about something.”

Kruse chuckled “No, I called you because I wanted to hear your voice and tell you that I love you.”

He could hear the smile in her voice as she replied “I love you too.”

Kruse waited a few moments before starting “Is it possible…”

Elma remained silent, Kruse struggling to find his words.

“Is it possible that…my dossier. My information I provided to the ECP to board the White Whale is…here.”

“Kruse...did you find something?”

“A man. Assam Constantine. He worked on constructing several of the Ark ships including the White Whale. He was the head of a team called-”

“Alpha Wolf.”

Kruse fell silent, nodding, mostly to himself.

“Alpha Wolf was one of the structural teams brought into the project by the ECP alongside many others. The ECP was impressed by Alpha Wolf’s solo projects in the years leading up to the implementation of Project Exodus so they were brought into the fold. Alpha Wolf along with almost a dozen more engineering teams got onto the White Whale to maintain it and complete the construction of the Habitat Unit. All the teams fell under the command of the L-002’s head engineer.”

Kruse continued to nod “Who was the L-002’s head engineer?”

“…Jack Vandham.”

Kruse’s eyes widened.

“Of course. Of course!”

“Kruse-”

“Then…then…”

“Kruse-”

“He’d know! He’d know who I am! If I worked under him for two years…he could know who I really am!”

“Kruse.”

The Harrier stopped, thinking this information over. Recalling that he had told Elma he no longer wanted to know who he was. As long as he had her, he was content with his life. He was happy.

“Elma…I…I don’t know what to do…”

“…Kruse. I know you don’t want to hear this but…the Phantom.”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Kruse nodded.

“Finding the serial killer is more important. More crucial. Time sensitive. Right.”

“Not just that but…are you sure you want to know who you are? You told me…”

“I know. I know…it just…it threw me off…I never expected any of this. To just come across it while doing something else is…”

Kruse trailed off, Elma speaking up.

“I wish I could be there to help you. If it continues to bother you, do not hesitate to call me.”

Kruse took a deep breath.

“Thank you Elma…I’m going to hold off on this, no pursuing, no asking any questions. Nothing. Not until you’re back. I promise.”

He waited for Elma’s answer.

“It’s a promise. I love you, Kruse.”

“I love you too, Elma.”

Hanging up he let out another heavy sigh.

“Kruse!”

Turning to Torrez he apologized.

“I got distracted. Now I’m ready for-”

“It’s Jaynix. She found something.”

* * *

“I know my injuries! I know field treatments when I see them! These weren’t accidents! Where is a stay at home wife gonna get a rod jammed in her spine?”

“There are plenty of possible scenarios that-”

Jaynix spat “You’re full of shit Benton! These people were injected with something. All of them! And the Phantom used field patches to hide the evidence! Evidence that was blatant and you and yours were ignoring!”

“Excuse you! I am a professional! If we wrote it off it’s because it’s irrelevant!”

“Irrelevant? You son of a bitch.”

“Jaynix!”

Turning the woman spotted Kruse and Torrez, the former speaking.

“What’s going on here?”

Jaynix crossed her arms “This embarrassment is in total damage control. That’s what.”

“You ungrateful…you forget who saved your life!”

“I owe you nothing Benton!”

“Jaynix!”

She stepped away from Benton upon hearing her brother call for again. Looking at Kruse and Torrez she held her hands up.

“I’m done! Fine. But look.”

She gestured to the wound on Fern’s back then pulled out all the autopsy reports. Her hand tracing the faint imprint of a field patch.

“The Phantom didn’t just sever their limbs and let them bleed out, they all had something stuck into their backs. All six of them were injected with something. Then a field patch was used to accelerate the closing of the wound. A wound that this embarrassment wrote off SIX TIMES! It’s a common factor but look!”

She held the autopsy report up and pointed to the notes.

“Field accident. Training accident. Work accident. Home accident? Horseshit! What is he trying to pull?”

Kruse tried to speak but could see that Jaynix realized something.

“You’re in on it Benton!”

“Me? You psychotic bitch I-”

Before Kruse could act, Jaynix punched the doctor with savage force. As he stumbled back she punched him again, throwing him to the floor and mounting him, the beat down continuing. Torrez went to stop her only to take a fist as well, falling to the floor.

Kruse grabbed her arm on the back swing and hauled her off the doctor.

She stared at her brother, seeing the concern in his eyes, her rage left her. Turning she saw the bloodied and unconscious Benton.

She looked back at Kruse, he could see pain filling her eyes.

“I…I’m sorry…I…”

Without a word, Kruse held her, running his hand through her hair.


	4. A Shadow's Method

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following Jaynix's episode, the investigation into the Mimeosome Maintenance Center continues with Kruse and Solomon at the head of it while Jaynix takes some needed R&R.

The next day found Kruse and Solomon leaving BLADE Tower, following the incident yesterday Solomon determined that they had to follow protocol and report what happened before questioning Benton and continuing the MMC branch of the investigation.

Luckily, Chausson understood and was respectful of Jaynix's plight, something he's proven time and time again to be. His only request was that Jaynix take this day off of the investigation, to which Kruse agreed that she would.

As the pair continued towards the MMC, Solomon spoke.

"That was a very different Director General than I'm used to…not to say he's a hard ass but he was incredibly accommodating to you and your sister. Back on Earth…well…I suppose it doesn't matter now does it?"

Kruse thought back to his many interactions with Maurice Chausson.

"Y'know…from what I've read in terms of Earth history, government and politics…people like Chausson were anything but trustworthy yet from everything he's done here on Mira…I can't imagine a better person to be in charge…well, aside from Nagi but I suppose that goes without saying."

"Mind filling me in on you and Jaynix's history with Chausson?"

Kruse looked over to Solomon who shrugged.

"I'm curious."

The Harrier chuckled, shaking his head.

"Is that your detective sense? Well…it's a long story. A really long story…I imagine you'll have more time to hear it and I'll have more time to tell it once this whole Phantom investigation is done."

Solomon thought for a few moments before nodding.

"I imagine so. Very well. We'll put a pin in this discussion."

Entering the MMC, Kruse snapped his fingers.

"The cloth! Have you found anything on that end?"

Solomon smirked.

"I don't have anything to show for it yet but I think it's coming along well...see, I stopped by a few textile stores in the commercial district, this man named Ulysses Hill runs one of em and everything he makes is done by hand with Miran materials. People pay him to fabricate things, he's good at it. I left the cloth with him and he's dissecting it so to speak. He'll call me with the full list of materials."

Kruse tapped his chin. "Once we have that we can see if anyone brought those items to him for fabrication…or we can see who put in some requests to Mission Control for BLADEs to go collect them."

Solomon came to a halt.

"Huh. I did not even think about approaching it from a BLADE angle. That's good. Very good. You should consider joining up with the Crime Unit. You and your sister."

Kruse shook his head "As much as I think that isn't a terrible idea…being a BLADE is who I am."

"Shame…"

"But if you ever need a few unaffiliated observers for anything. You know where to find us."

The pair came to a stop at Harriet's desk, the woman going over some paperwork before looking up to see them. Solomon tipping his hat to her.

"Sorry about the mess yesterday."

"Don't worry about it detective…Kruse…how is Jaynix?"

Kruse smiled "She's fine. She's with Alexa. Thanks for worrying about her."

Harriet looked down at her papers and spoke quietly.

"I think I'm the only staff in the MMC that does…"

Filing her papers away she led Solomon and Kruse through the MMC, back to where the bodies of the victims were, Solomon speaking.

"How is Doctor Benton?"

The woman turned to Solomon.

"He's in quite a lot of pain…we stopped the bleeding and fixed up his…face as best we could but it's still a work in progress. I knew he and Jaynix haven't gotten along in a long time but I never imagined they'd get to this point. They're more passive aggressive with each other than anything…"

Kruse thought back to that moment, he could almost see it happening before it did.

"Benton said the wrong thing. I feel like he knew that would happen…he had to know. Jaynix is…"

Harriet turned to Kruse.

"No need to say anymore…I understand."

The three stood over the bodies for a few moments, Solomon glancing over to the autopsy reports. Taking a seat he picked them up and began leafing through them.

"Can you tell us how these reports were filed Harriet?"

Kruse crossed his arms.

"And maybe tell me how I missed this common thread…I had my nose buried in these things for longer than I care to admit…"

Solomon shook his head.

"You didn't just miss it Kruse, I did to. Some Head Detective I am eh? I rely too much on paperwork and the words of others. Benton wrote down that the punctures were accidents. Torrez read it, Torrez reported it to me and I logged it away as irrelevant instead of coming here to take a look myself. By the fourth body I just ignored that part of the report. I felt the more obvious connections, the blood loss and amputation could lead us to the Phantom on their own."

Kruse looked to Solomon. He wanted to say something but what's in the past is in the past. What matters now is that they found this common thread. Or at least, Jaynix did. What mattered now is what they did with it. Stepping closer to Fern's body, Kruse examined the wound that was now opened up. As he did so, Harriet cleared her throat and began speaking.

“To answer your question, Solomon…we have a report drafted by our specialists out in the field. Once the body comes back here, Benton and some of his trusted doctors perform a more thorough autopsy. The preliminary report comes from what they find upon first inspection. After that it’s a much more in depth search for anything else wrong with the body which gives you the complete report. As of right now all the complete reports have been filed but Fern’s. I suppose Benton will get back on it when he’s feeling better…”

Solomon tapped his chin.

“So the paperwork and the information stays with the MMC staff and Benton. They have all the hard copies and they provide copies to Torrez or my specialists when they come by and ask for it…that rules out tampering at the source but Benton’s explanations and notes in these reports don’t seem the most thorough…home accident…I’m going to need to question him.”

Harriet nodded “As soon as he’s able I will call you.”

Solomon thanked her as Kruse spoke up.

"While Jaynix couldn't be here she did tell me a few things to ask you, Harriet."

"As much as I would like to help I-I'm not really much of a doctor. I keep up with the paperwork and such but I'm more of a secretary. It shames me to admit but I never finished my lessons in mim tech and care…I'd rather direct you to Doctor Iris Falkan. She's a department head and much more capable."

Kruse turned to Harriet.

"From what I could gather from Jaynix's questions, they aren't too in depth. At the very least you know your way around the basic tools, yes?"

Harriet waited a few moments before nodding, approaching Fern's body with Solomon close behind. Kruse gestured at the wound.

"From what I was told, this is how the wound looked prior to the patch being applied."

Harriet nodded "Y-yes. Personal Patches are standard in field kits for BLADEs. They come in the form of concentrated pills to reconstruct and stabilize any damage to a mim's interior structure. They also come as adhesive patches which are applied to external injuries, wounds and leak. They are to be used in tandem for BLADEs on extended missions out to Mira, they work extremely well but for more serious trauma MMC visits are…recommended…sorry. Got carried away…"

"No worries." Solomon stated, pulling out a cigarette only for Harriet to give him a very stern glare. Chuckling he put it away before pointing at the body.

"That hole was left after something was inserted and removed…the running theory is surgical equipment of some kind. What part of the mim connects there? Anything important?"

Harriet leaned in, narrowing her eyes, getting a better view of the radius of the injury and its location.

"There is no surgical equipment for external care that is this specific size…I'd suggest the Phantom widened the wound but there is no stress or folds on the skin…as for what is beneath the skin that would be the mimeosome's spinal column. Almost all the protoplasmic fluid in the body flows through it…"

Solomon's eyes widened, he turned to Kruse just as the other man looked at him, reaching the same conclusion.

"He drains them."

Harriet turned as Kruse gestured at the tools about.

"You said there wasn't any surgical equipment here that could fit that wound and drain a mim's fluid. Is there a tool or device anywhere else in the MMC that could accomplish that?"

Harriet shook her head "N-not in large enough quantities to be…lethal…but…"

Harriet fell silent, thinking something over before gesturing for the pair to follow. Back in the main hall of the MMC, Harriet pointed at the pods that hold BLADEs and other injured individuals for repairs and intensive care.

Approaching one she tapped the controls, stepping back as it opened. She then gestured to a circular protrusion at the back of the pod.

"When you or anyone is in Stasis a cable of sorts, a cord is pulled out from there and inserted into your back. It is used to circulate new protoplasmic fluid, drawing out the older fluids while pumping in a new load, refreshing your mimeosome's interiors…it's never needed to drain a mim but someone could tamper with it to do so. That said these are incredible important and valuable materials…if someone was using our facility, we'd know. There would be records of usage…"

Solomon tapped his chin.

"Unless someone was covering it up for them…Jaynix's accusation of Benton being 'in on it' and helping the Phantom is starting to seem far more likely…the question is what would he have to gain from helping a Serial Killer? He's a doctor. This is against everything he stood for…"

As Solomon continued to think this over, Kruse looked around the facility.

"I doubt these pods could be stolen…how possible is it that the Phantom is coming in here after hours to drain a victim's mimeosome? Let's just say that one has been tampered with to only drain a mimeosome's fluids…how long would it take?"

Harriet swallowed "Um…uh…not that long? It depends on a lot of factors and if…if the…if the pod is pushed too hard…it…"

Kruse and Solomon looked to each other, the Harrier taking a step forward.

"I'm so sorry. You told us you're not a doctor and we're putting too much pressure on you…we're desperate but that's no excuse. I'm sorry."

Solomon nodded "I should apologize as well on the behalf of the entire Crime Unit. You've helped us plenty Harriet. If you want to direct us to Doctor Falkan, we'll continue with her."

"It's broken."

The two men looked at each other, Kruse asking "What?"

Harriet rushed past them towards another pod that had tape over it as well as a detailed warning over the control panel.

"This one…this pod has been rendered unusable for weeks. I don't know the exact date but no one has ever come down to repair it."

"What's wrong with it?"

Harriet looked to Kruse then back at the pod, muttering that she wasn't sure before opening it up. Kruse and Solomon joined her, all three of them realizing that the protrusion at the back of the pod was not there.

Solomon took out his comm device and contacted the Crime Unit, addressing Harriet quickly.

"We're pulling that thing out of the wall and seeing what else is missing…"

Walking away he began giving orders. Kruse looking to Harriet.

"Thank you for all your help. Truly."

She smiled "Glad I could…glad I could help."

* * *

"Thanks so much for this Alexa."

Finishing her sandwich, Jaynix let out a relaxed sigh.

"I knew you needed it…you came home last night and…I just knew."

Jaynix smiled. "I really have the smartest girlfriend ever. I really do."

Alexa giggled as Jaynix leaned across the table and kissed her, it was innocent enough…but then it kept going. Alexa pulled away.

"Jaynix…"

"What? Am I not allowed to get hot and heavy with my girlfriend in public?"

Alexa blushed.

"You don't like it when I do that? Okay. I'll stop."

"NO!"

Jaynix smirked as Alexa blushed even harder.

"You're too adorable."

The pair stood, Alexa leaving credits on the table and taking Jaynix's arm in hers. The pair walking through the Commercial District.

"So…is what I heard true? Did you really punch out Doctor Benton?"

Jaynix sighed before nodding.

"I lost grip on my emotions…what's new?"

"Jaynix…"

The Interceptor shook her head.

"I'm fine now. Kruse said I wasn't in trouble but that I should take the day off the Investigation…I'm glad I did, I got to spend more time with you…"

Jaynix came to a stop as Alexa took ahold of one of her hands, bringing it up; she gave Jaynix's hand a small kiss before looking at her.

"Alexa…"

"I'm glad you're here with me, Jaynix. But I could also tell you've become pretty invested in this whole investigation."

"…are you still worried about me?"

Alexa nodded. "I always will be…I trust you, I do. I just worry…even before we got together when you stood back in Sylvalum with Irina. I didn't have all the details but thinking about you hurt. I was scared…"

Jaynix waited for Alexa's eyes to find her.

"So…if it isn't too much to ask I'd like to come along and help you with the Phantom investigation."

Jaynix smiled, stepping closer to Alexa.

"I get to work and spend time with you? All at once? How could I say no?"

Jaynix kissed Alexa, drawing a giggle from the Outfitter before the pair turned and continued walking.

"Enough about me and my work…how are the expansion plans going?"

Alexa looked to Jaynix "You know I can't discuss it…"

But then she smiled "I really want to though."

"I won't tell a soul, Alexa. I promise."

Nodding the Outfitter tapped her chin.

"Director General Chausson has the Outfitters looking into two scenarios. The first is constructing another Habitat Unit farther out to sea. A bigger, wider one with twice as many facilities as the current one has. We'll be connecting both Habitat Units with a huge, awesome bridge…it'll be a second human city here on Mira and out on the water. If it turns out this method is feasible the ultimate plan is to expand to five cities all along the ocean and Primordian coast. Five interconnected cities, he calls this approach Project Civilization."

Jaynix thought about it and whistled "Incredible. We get to name all the new cities right? Will we stick to the New Los Angeles naming convention and get cities like New Detroit or I don't know…New New York?"

The pair shared a laugh, before Alexa stated "I don't see why not."

"Awesome…what about his second plan?"

Alexa thought for a bit.

"Project Integration…I don't know if you'd consider it crazier or more ambitious than Civilization but…well, basically-"

"Jaynix!"

The pair came to a stop, Jaynix recognizing Torrez joining them.

"Hey, Torrez! Uh…sorry about nailing you in the face yesterday…"

Torrez chuckled and brushed it off. "No big deal. If I was tougher that one blow wouldn't have knocked me out. I'm not really a fighter though…"

Jaynix tilted her head "Don't you have a gun?"

"I do but if it comes to fisticuffs I'm pretty useless. Solomon covers my ass a lot."

"Hello."

He turned to the woman at Jaynix's side, noting that they were holding hands.

"You must be Jaynix's girlfriend…Alexa, was it?

She nodded as he held his hand out.

"My name is Rueben Torrez, Assistant to the Head Detective of NLA's Investigative Crime Unit."

The pair shook hands as Alexa asked.

"I'm curious, for someone involved with this whole investigation, how helpful has Jaynix been to you?"

Jaynix gasped.

"You don't believe me?"

The Interceptor started laughing, Torrez doing the same before clearing his throat.

"How helpful? Immensely. She is honestly like a good luck charm. We've stumbled across more hints and leads these last few days than ever before…in fact, I just got a call from Solomon that the Crime Unit was mobilizing and heading to the Mimeosome Maintenance Center. Apparently thanks to her discoveries yesterday, they found something."

Alexa turned to Jaynix "You're quite the detective."

Jaynix grinned "What'd they find?"

"You don't want to come see?"

"After punching out one of the head doctors at the MMC? Yeah. I'd rather not and even if I did want to, I was asked not to so…"

Torrez tapped his chin.

"Oh! Right…yeah…should've expected that part. If it's all the same to you, Benton deserved that beating."

Jaynix wanted to agree but at the same time, it only happened because she lost grip on herself. Her goal was to gain control over her emotions and she failed yesterday.

"I might as well fill you in since you can't come along. With some help from Harriet and your list of questions, Kruse and Solomon have uncovered what they're almost certain is the Phantom's method of draining the victims. I'm heading over now but we do still have a lot of paperwork back at BLADE HQ…I know you were asked to stay off the investigation for today so…would you mind dropping by BLADE HQ tomorrow and giving as many dossiers as you could a once over?"

Jaynix smiled and nodded "I don't see why not…in fact, Alexa just offered her services as well. The two of us will definitely find something."

Torrez looked to Alexa "Don't let me stop you. Thanks again!"

With a nod, Torrez ran past the pair towards the MMC only to skid to a halt as Jaynix called out to him.

"Wait! The cloth. Did Solomon figure anything out?"

"Cloth? If he has, I've not heard anything…"

Jaynix took her shred of cloth out "If this was more my speed I could handle it myself but I'm sure you wouldn't mind looking into it as well. We believe it to be part of the Phantom's cloak or robe or, whatever that freak wears when killing people."

Torrez looked it over and nodded "Alright. After I'm done at the MMC I'll ask around. See what I can find. Best of luck."

With that he took off.

Alexa watched Jaynix for a few moments, the woman seemed jumpy and fidgety.

"You really want to go to BLADE HQ and get working on this right now, don't you?"

"Please?"

Alexa giggled before nodding.

"I'll be right there with you."

Jaynix embraced Alexa and kissed her before taking her hand and running towards BLADE Tower.


	5. A Spirit's Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a whole slew of possible leads and angles to tackle, the team pushes forward with the Investigation and their ghostly adversary pushes back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Think it fair to say this chapter really tests that T rating. If I have to bump it up to M I will.

Another early morning brought forth another day into the Phantom investigation. Kruse’s destination was once again the MMC. Solomon worked his way through Benton’s personal staff and assistants, finally getting to the man and arranging a meet. Questions would be asked and hopefully, answers attained.

Until then, Kruse thought it best to use the time before he got back to work, to talk to Elma. As Jaynix put it, her being away is no excuse to drown in work. As Alexa can attest, when Jaynix is out on extended missions, she’s always calling and leaving messages.

Kruse always imagined that Elma was just too busy and didn’t want to interrupt but after countless times hearing relief and comfort in Elma’s voice when he called her, he made it a habit.

“It was quite an experience watching this Grex pack for most the day while the rest of the Reclaimers salvaged the wreckage…Indigens are quite fascinating.”

Kruse chuckled. “They are. We should go on an Indigen watching trip some time.”

“I’d like that.”

Kruse waited as Elma let out a small yawn, she never wanted to appear tired around the other Reclaimers but when she was on a call with Kruse, she didn’t mind.

“I didn’t get to ask this yesterday so I’m asking now, how’s the current haul of White Whale wreckage looking? What have you found?”

“Well, there was one unit we found yesterday. The last one of the day actually…it contained countless works of fiction…books, books and more books.”

A wide smile formed on Kruse’s face as he whispered “Books.”

“I knew you’d love that. I gave the list a quick look and it’s hard to put it in words but there are a lot of books. That said there are a few book titles that stood out to me and I’m pretty sure they mean a little something to you…these books are, oh I don’t know…written by an individual known as Terry Brooks…”

Kruse stood up “You did not find the entire Shannara collection did you?”

“It looks pretty complete to me.”

“I love you.”

“Oh you love me for the books I provide?”

“No I love you because you’re amazing, honorable, brave, beautiful, kind, thoughtful…”

Kruse trailed off, smiling. He knew Elma was too.

“…and also cause you provide books.”

The pair shared a laugh.

“Well…when I get back we can pick up where we left off and read the rest of the adventures of the Ohmsfords and the Bearers of the Black Staffs…together.”

“Allanon is still the best.”

“Please. Walker Boh is where it’s at.”

After another bout of laughter the pair exchanged goodbyes, Kruse sitting back on the couch as Abyssion hopped onto his lap.

“Hey there demon child, how are things going?”

The cat let out a loud meow before curling up and falling asleep.

“I take it Elma’s doing just fine?”

Kruse nodded to Lin “She is…how have you been?”

“Pretty good. Though it is hard to focus knowing that there is a serial killer out there…I know it’s probably too optimistic of a thought to have but I really believed we’d be done with this kinds of people after Dale Gibbon.”

Kruse looked past Lin, at nothing in particular as he thought about Dale Gibbon. The very idea that a murderer like him could find his way onto the White Whale sickened him to no end. Even worse was the thought he had upon completing the mission…what if he wasn’t the only one?

“Kruse?”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Kruse looked over to Lin.

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah. Yeah…Dale Gibbon…there is one thing I’ll say about chasing down that…monster. I got to do it alongside Sharon and as odd as this may sound, I grew to respect her through that encounter…”

Lin crossed her arms “I did notice your interactions with her…well, actually it was the way she interacted with you that changed after that. It was nice.”

“It was.”

Lin thought for a few moments.

“Part of me wonders what it was like for Sharon. For that reason I kinda wish I’d been there but at the same time it was probably for the best that I wasn’t.”

Kruse shrugged “Can’t say how you would’ve reacted but despite the differences I had with Sharon and still have I do think she made the right call and he got what he deserved. Sharon is all the better for it…or Murderess…I’m still not sure. Have I been calling her Sharon this whole time?”

“You have. I think you’ve convinced yourself that the two of you are friends.”

Kruse tilted his head.

“I guess…I mean, she and Jaynix are definitely closer than she and I but…I suppose there’s nothing wrong with another friend…even if we did start off on the wrong foot. I just wish tracking down the Phantom was as easy as hunting down Dale Gibbon. But I suppose they can’t all be that easy.”

Lin put a plate of food in front of Kruse before sitting down across from him. The pair started eating with her speaking.

“Regardless of how difficult this is, I know you guys can do it…speaking of the Phantom investigation, I’ve been hearing bits and pieces of some things going on. I’ve been trying to stay out of it, focus on my work cause you know the Outfitters have a lot to do…”

Kruse chuckled.

“Oh yeah. A lot.”

Lin laughed before continuing.

“Anyway, I did hear that there has been a lot going on around the Mimeosome Research Center. Apparently a lot of Crime Unit specialists have been over there day in and day out. What happened?”

Kruse tapped his chin.

“Well…it all started when Jaynix punched out Benton.”

“She did? I don’t know why I’m surprised…”

Kruse tapped Abyssion, waking the cat and sneaking him a slice of ham. As the cat ate it, Lin could only sigh. She couldn’t stop Kruse if she tried…and she’s tried.

“Punching Benton aside, a lot more important things happened. Key among them was that, Solomon and I, with the help of an MMC Staffer named Harriet Sinclair, discovered that one of the MMC Pods was tampered with. After opening it up and pulling it apart we found that many of its core components were missing. Key among them being the fluid injection cord and from what we could gather, that is what the Phantom is using to drain all the victims of their…well, blood, basically. Without those fluids circulating inside a mim, the mim can’t run and functions cease which then, as we’ve seen, leads to death.”

Lin crossed her arms “That seems like a rather extravagant killing method…not to mention that the gear is absurdly heavy, I doubt the Phantom is carrying around the injection cord…and where does the fluid that gets extracted go? You’d think we’d fine a huge pool of it somewhere…does he carry around a tank too?”

Kruse took a few more bites before speaking.

“We figured that was odd too…but then I thought what if he set up a makeshift pod somewhere in New LA? He captures his victims, brings them there, hacks off a limb or two, drains them and finally carries the body into the city and just dumps them off. At that point they are near death and by the time anyone stumbles upon them. It’s too late.”

Lin nodded “That sounds plausible…but why?”

“We won’t know the why till we find him.”

* * *

Noon came to NLA, bathing the city in a warm light. This marked yet another day that Jaynix and Alexa were in BLADE Tower, looking over and studying the myriad of dossiers all over the archive…or…they should be doing that.

Instead, many folders and countless loose pages were strewn aside with the pair on the floor, Jaynix on top of Alexa, kissing her and drawing all her favorite sounds from her favorite Outfitter.

They should be working; they knew they should be working. But an innocent enough conversation of what they could do after they got off work spiraled into a not so innocent conversation of what they could do after they got off work and…well…now they were here.

Jaynix kicked a box aside, papers and folders spilling out.

Alexa whispered for her to be careful, giggling Jaynix apologized before kissing Alexa again.

As Jaynix’s hands traveled all over Alexa’s body the Outfitter tried her best to form a sentence, constantly being interrupted by touches and kisses. Jaynix was only half listening as Alexa reminded her that it was very likely that someone would walk in. Prompting Jaynix to ask.

“Should I stop?”

“Don’t you dare.”

Jaynix began to laugh, only to be cut off by Alexa’s hands and lips.

It was in that moment that Jaynix realized, she was getting better. Alexa was an incredibly fast learner.

Next thing she knew they had rolled over and Alexa was on top. A rarity. But one she had no problem with.

The pair heard another box fall over and laughed but nothing could separate them from the other.

* * *

Sometime later, the pair was lying on the floor, in each other’s arms, Alexa letting out a comfortable sigh before asking.

“How long have we been like this?”

Jaynix could only shrug.

“I don’t know…but I could lay here with you all day…”

Alexa smiled.

“Me too…but we do have work to do.”

There was a pause before Jaynix sighed “Right. Well I guess we should track down our clothes first. I do hope you realize that this is entirely your fault Alexa.”

“My fault? I was talking about tech jobs or getting a bite to eat!”

“Don’t think I didn’t know what you were implying with that second part.”

“I wasn’t implying anything! You were!”

The pair stared at each other before cracking smiles and laughing.

They were cut off by a comm device going off, untangling from each other they stood and began searching for the buzzing comm as well as their discarded clothes. Finding the comm on a table, Alexa picked it up and answered.

“Heyo! What’s up Kruse?”

“Alexa? I was calling Jaynix.”

“She’s busy…BUT NOT LIKE THAT! She’s…just…busy…”

Silence.

“With reports.”

Silence.

“And files…and work…and…”

“I’m going to choose to not comment. On anything. Have you two found anything?”

Alexa laughed nervously.

“N-no…we’ve been trying! But she’s really hot, I MEAN it’s really hard…it’s hard, there are a lot of files here all over the floor and…yeah…it’s…hard to…find…anything…”

Silence.

Jaynix walked over, half dressed and took the comm, kissing Alexa.

“Isn’t she adorkable?”

“Jaynix.”

“Look bro, we ain’t found shit. This place is a mess but it’s always been a mess. You and Torrez have been looking through this stuff for days, as have we. Need I remind you that there is a chance none of the six victims’ files are here?”

“You don’t have to remind me…I’m not mad just…you…and Alexa…”

Jaynix giggled “What? Are you surprised at how adventurous she’s become? Is that such a bad thing?”

“Ok. Ok. Let’s. No. We are not talking about this. No. You are my Sister and I don’t want to hear about it. I called for matters on a serial killer and I am clearly not gonna get anything. I’d rather cut this line of conversation right now. Goodbye.”

With that he hung up. Jaynix broke out into loud laughter, tears escaping from her eyes.

Alexa walked up to Jaynix, buttoning up her shirt.

“So um…”

Wiping her eyes, Jaynix looked at Alexa “It’s all good. Kruse is just…Kruse. More importantly. We have to find something to make up for this.”

“Yeah. We should also clean up some of the mess we made…”

Jaynix looked at the many boxes that fell over during their…activities.

“Hey Alexa. Take a look at the main terminal.”

“Huh? But I thought-”

“Solomon said he put too much trust in the words of others without checking all the facts himself. Kruse and I have been doing the same. Just scrub through it and look for any of the six names.”

Alexa stepped over to the terminal.

“…would you mind…repeating them to me? I know them but I just…I need to hear them again.”

Jaynix took a deep breath and turned to Alexa.

“May Alstead. Geoff Parker. Misha Idling. Evan Torre. Raymond Penn. Erick Fern.”

Alexa nodded, looking back to the terminal, she began searching.

Jaynix in the meantime found her shirt and pants. Finally. Putting them on, she ran her hands through her hair, spotting her jacket she retrieved it as well before bending down and picking up a few of the fallen boxes. Whistling to herself she placed them on a table. Giving one look at all the papers and folders strewn about she tapped her chin before deciding.

“Totally worth it.”

Chuckling to herself she picked up as many of the discarded papers as she could when she heard Alexa mutter something.

“What in the…”

Jaynix put the various forms and files back in a box and turned to Alexa. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re all here…”

“…what?”

“They’re all here. Alstead. Parker. Idling. Torre. Penn. Fern. I found them all. I double checked but this is them. All of them.”

Jaynix approached the terminal, pulling out her comm device and bringing up pictures of the deceased.

“They were in the terminal the whole time…which means…you, me, Torrez, Kruse, Solomon...we’ve wasted days, weeks even looking through these papers!”

Turning in anger, Jaynix kicked a box over, the papers flying everywhere.

* * *

“Doctor Edwin Benton. Good to see you all healed up and even better for you to finally take time out of your busy schedule to meet with me.

The doctor looked up to see Solomon, shaking his head.

“I’m a very busy man, Mathias. I can’t conduct my work with you and your specialists hounding my employees.”

Solomon shrugged.

“If you had just met with me sooner and gotten this out of the way sooner, that wouldn’t have been nearly as much of a problem as it was.”

Benton sighed “Are you going to arrest me or something? Despite all I’ve done for that Corporal…despite how clearly unstably she is, you’re going to take her accusations to heart eh? Take her word over mine?”

Solomon thought for a bit before shaking his head.

“No. I’m not here to arrest anyone…yet. But I do have quite a few questions. All our time in the MMC and seeing how things are being handled have us concerned.”

Leaning back in his seat, Benton narrowed his eyes.

“Where are your shadows? Torrez and Kruse.”

Solomon sat across from Benton, taking off his hat.

“Kruse would be here but he just got a call from Jaynix, with any luck she’s found something. Torrez on the other hand is looking through the security tapes trying to find the moment the pod was trifled with. Which brings me to my first question. The pod. Why was this not handled sooner?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean. The MMC is incredibly valuable. The pods in here are crucial to keeping BLADEs alive. One has been on the fritz for over a week. Most of the employees we asked about it said they came into work one day and it was like that. No one was around for the failure and no one inspected it. From what I’ve been told by some of the more trusted staff here like Harriet Sinclair and other department heads like Iris Falkan is that despite their attempts to get repair workers in here, they were told to leave it to your office…by your office.”

Benton rolled his eyes.

“You’ve been in the MMC for a few days now and you’ve no doubt seen the dozens of pods that we have in here. Losing one is not that big of a deal not to mention it costs valuable materials to repair it, materials better used to construct more replacement mimeosome parts, which I might add, we’ve never had an abundance of…and even more vital than that we’re required to use many of the same supplies to fix and repair overclocked Overdrive Gear.”

Solomon tapped Benton’s desk a few times as the doctor continued.

“You aren’t a BLADE so I don’t blame you for not knowing this…but some BLADEs rely on Overdrive a little too much and it stresses their Mimeosomes. It’s one of the reasons Maximum Overdrive exists as a limit. If one was to push themselves past that, they’d begin breaking down. So again, repairing these failures before they occur is just more important than repairing a single pod.”

“I have to say…I can definitely follow the logic there…we only have so many resources and with NLA gearing up for something big, we need to make the most of what we have. But the matter still stands, the pod is broken, no official report was filed and you prevented anyone else from looking into it. I know you aren’t a detective so I don’t blame you for not knowing this…but paperwork, accurate paperwork is vital. Omitting things is a crime. It’s illegal.”

Benton narrowed his eyes, but remained silent as Solomon gave him a smile.

“Paperwork. Right. That brings me to my next point. The autopsy reports with the questionable reasoning to brush off wounds that occurred on all six victims…I had Harriet provide me with the names of your ‘trusted doctors’ who aided you in the autopsies.”

Solomon was glad he was already smiling, because Benton seemed worried.

“Doctors Arnold Bradbury and Eliza Jun. I had some of my Specialists question them and they seemed…confused about the whole thing. One look at the official report left them asking who tampered with it because that is not the autopsy they helped you file.”

Solomon could see a mix of emotions in Benton’s face. Moments like this reminded him exactly why it was he enjoyed his job.

“So between the faulty paperwork. The testimonies of your doctors, the staff and your handling of the MMC pod that ‘broke’ you can see why we’re suspicious. The thing that ties all of this together being the Phantom. The killer who would most benefit from scrubbed autopsies and MMC Pod components that…fell off a truck. Not to mention all the smokescreen you’re desperately throwing…”

Benton shook his head.

“So either I’m terrible at my job and have no right to be one of the head doctors of the MMC or I’m involved with a lunatic serial killer. You’re a fool to believe either of those. I have all my degrees, I’ve studied Mimeosomes to death. I’ve saved countless lives. And yet-”

“The evidence speaks for itself, Benton. So…I’m sure you know this but I’ll do you the courtesy of telling you that are under investigation. I’m here to seize and look through all your personal files and reports as well as scrub through all security camera footage. The whole nine yards as they say.”

Solomon tapped the desk one more time, still smiling as Benton spat.

“I’d ask if you have a warrant but I don’t even think that office is active yet.”

“Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, it isn’t but I went to Chausson with everything that I just told you and he said I was free to take a look through your offices.”

Kruse entered at that moment.

“Solomon. Jaynix and Alexa got something.”

Standing, Solomon looked to Kruse and nodded before putting his hat on, tipping it to Benton.

“I’ll be back. We’re far from done.”

As the pair exited the office, Benton rested his head on his clenched fists.

Kruse and Solomon walked through the MMC, the latter still smiling.

“Did you get what you needed?”

“No…but I think I did pretty damn well. This Investigation is in an incredible place right now. All thanks to you and Jaynix.”

Kruse shook his head.

“We can’t take all the credit. While we have come across a lot of leads, it’s you and Torrez and all your specialists who bring forth the finer details. The Investigative Crime Unit as a whole is a boon to New Los Angeles.”

Exiting the MMC, Solomon pulled out a cigarette.

“Thank you for saying as much…”

Puffing out some smoke, he tilted his head.

“So. What did Jaynix and Alexa find?”

“Jaynix insists we have to see it. It’s crucial.”

Solomon nodded his head as the MMC door opened behind them.

“Kruse. Sir. Where are you going?”

The pair turned to Torrez.

“Jaynix uncovered something. We aren’t sure what yet but we’re going to go check at her insistence. How did the tapes look?”

Torrez sighed before answering Solomon’s question.

“I went back to the date the machine was shut down and there is about two hours removed from all the cameras. If the Phantom did indeed come in here one night to dismantle a pod, I’m pretty certain that someone helped. That is a lot of time even in the dead of night. Someone had to have seen or heard something.”

“Part of me expected as much. Ah well, ask around Torrez. Ask all the doctors and staff even if we’ve interviewed them already and search all of Benton’s back offices. I’m certain he’s involved with all of this in some way, we have to find out in what way. Intentionally or not he has to have left something behind. I know that we’re looking for a lot of somethings but this is the most luck we’ve had in…well, ever.”

Torrez bowed to Solomon before taking off.

“You’re right. It’s all of us working together that is getting this done…I’m glad I called you in, Kruse.”

The Harrier chuckled “Indeed…all that said we really could stand to thank Jaynix, she’s apparently a good luck charm.”

“Apparently so.”

* * *

Kruse, Solomon and Jaynix stood behind Alexa as she brought up the digital dossiers of the six Phantom victims.

“Son of a bitch. Right under our noses the whole time.”

Kruse looked over to Solomon “Torrez told us the digital logs were incomplete and he’d searched them. Found nothing.”

Solomon nodded “Same here. I checked myself before and after Torrez told me and found nothing either. I had a few technicians look into the terminal to see if anything was tampered with it but they all came back empty…what did you do to find this Alexa?”

She gestured to the search bar “I just…typed in their names.”

Solomon narrowed his eyes “Someone is making a fool out of all of us…”

Jaynix crossed her arms “Whoever it is, they’re probably laughing at us right now…asshole.”

Solomon pulled out his comm “Torrez.”

“Yes Sir?”

“We found the six victims. Their files.”

“Really? Okay. About time…what now?”

Jaynix gestured to Alexa who turned around and pressed a few buttons, all six dossiers filling up the space before them.

“I was looking for a combined trait these six had. With this many people it didn’t take long to find it. The first victim May Alstead. She lost a leg back on Earth long before being transferred into her mimeosome. The second victim, Geoff Parker lost his legs in a Skell training accident on Earth, again, before being transferred into his mimeosome. It’s the same for all six of them…they lost parts of their real human bodies.”

As Alexa finished, Jaynix spoke up.

“The Phantom is removing the parts of their bodies that they originally lost.”

Kruse narrowed his eyes “You think the Phantom sees these people regaining parts of their bodies as a sort of perversion?”

Jaynix nodded as Solomon tapped his chin “The Phantom can’t accept that we don’t have real bodies anymore. That’s what I gather…Misha Idling lost an arm…Evan Torre was a paraplegic…Raymond Penn lost an arm and Erick Fern was blind…it all adds up. Astonishing.”

Torrez voice came up “So we finally have a way to save people or at the very least, a more credible way to guess who’s next…”

Solomon shook his head “How did we miss this? How did no one we interviewed notice that these people were losing their same limbs again? Torrez?”

“I don’t have an answer for that sir…maybe all the people that knew just…didn’t make it onto the White Whale. Maybe they just never talked about it…”

Alexa turned quickly “Jaynix! Do you think the Phantom knows about…you?”

Kruse and Solomon turned to Jaynix.

“Maybe…”

She looked to Solomon who snapped his fingers “That’s right. I read that during a raid on a terrorist cell you lost an eye. Your right eye.”

Jaynix nodded as Torrez spoke up “My left hand. I lost it long ago…so the two of us are potential victims?”

Kruse crossed his arms “We’re not going to let the killer get to either of you. We know how the victims are chosen, we’ve found something. Whether the Phantom knows it or not, a mistake was made. This is our best chance to catch him, her, it…whoever!”

Alexa and Solomon nodded as Jaynix spoke.

“If we can somehow manipulate the Phantom into targeting me…”

Alexa shook her head “No! Absolutely not! I won’t let you use yourself as bait!”

“Alexa-”

“No! You promised me you’d be safe! This is not safe! Jaynix please…”

Before Jaynix could speak, Solomon cut her off.

“She’s right. I’m not about to use you as bait, Jaynix. That’s not a proper way at all to thank you for all the help you’ve been…you as well Torrez. We’ll find another way. A better way. We’ve got a strong lead on him. It’s only a matter of time.”

* * *

Outside of BLADE Tower, Jaynix walked behind Alexa, the Outfitter was clearly upset. Jaynix wanted to say something only for Alexa to face her, undeniable worry in her eyes.

“Why would you say that, Jaynix? You promised me…”

Jaynix approached her, hugging her girlfriend.

“I’m sorry. I really am…I just…I want to stop this before more people die…it was the first thought that came to mind…I didn’t mean to…”

Alexa hugged her back.

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t. You know me, I’m way too tough to let anything stop me…”

Alexa allowed a small smile to come to her face, her hold on Jaynix growing tighter.

“I know…”

Kruse and Solomon stood apart from the pair, Solomon tipping his hat to them.

“Fantastic couple…I can’t imagine what it’s like to have such a perfect partner…”

Kruse took his comm device out, reading a few new messages from Elma.

“Hopefully, you find someone Mathias.”

The head detective could only smirk.

“Once this Phantom fiasco is behind us. I’ll look into it. In the meantime I should head back to the MMC and…”

Solomon’s comm went off, pulling it out he read a message.

“Murder?”

“The Phantom?”

“No…it’s…just a murder in the commercial district where…”

Cursing, Solomon took off, Kruse chasing after him.

Jaynix and Alexa separated, watching the two men run off, Jaynix wanted to suggest to follow when her comm device received a message from…

“Doctor Benton? Why in the hell is he messaging me?”

Alexa looked at her.

“It could be important.”

Jaynix was about to deny it when she opened the message, it was one word.

“Help.”

Putting her comm device away she looked at Alexa “I gotta go.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s…nothing. I’ll meet you back home, alright?”

Jaynix took off towards the MMC, Alexa staring after her before giving chase.

* * *

Kruse and Solomon arrived at the scene of the crime, a textile shop. The owner lay dead on the ground, multiple deep knife cuts, his mim bled out all over the shop’s floor.

Kruse looked around the place as other Crime Unit specialists filed in and began working.

“This is where I brought the cloth…the one you gave me. The Phantom knew…”

Solomon cursed and exited the shop. Kruse walked up to one of the specialists.

“Tell me everything you can about what you’ve learned.”

* * *

Entering the MMC, Jaynix found it eerily quiet. Why in the world did Benton message her ‘help’? Was this some sort of joke? If so she wasn’t having any of it. She walked past the desk only to hear a faint whimper.

Walking back to the desk she asked “Anyone there?”

“J-Jaynix?”

“Harriet?”

The receptionist stood up.

“What happened?”

“I…I don’t know. All the lights went off and a…a shadow…like a ghost ran by…I thought it might be…”

“The Phantom is here…”

_“Help.”_

Jaynix’s eyes widened.

“Doctor Benton!”

“Last I heard he was in the back offices with an investigator...”

“Thank you Harriet, hide. Stay quiet. I’ll be right back.”

Nodding, Harriet got back under her desk as Jaynix drew her pistol and a flashlight. Holding one over the other she began walking through the MMC.

There was no one around save for a few BLADEs in stasis. Where were all the workers? Did Harriet sound an alarm? Did Benton?

She found someone on the floor and approached, recognizing their clothes and hair.

“Torrez!”

She knelt down next to him, someone had punched him severely hard in the jaw. He turned, seeing Jaynix and whispering.

“Phantom…”

With that he fell unconscious.

Standing, Jaynix continued moving towards the back offices. Torrez was here looking into Benton and now both men were in danger. Why was the Phantom here? Where did Kruse and Solomon go?

She heard something fluttering, like a cape, a cloak. Kicking the door open she stepped into the back, aiming her gun carefully and calmly. Boxes and papers were strewn about everywhere, one box was on fire. Acting quickly, Jaynix ran over to it, pulling her jacket off she tried to beat down the flames.

If anyone set anything to burn here, it had to be something important.

Then she heard the rapid flutters of a billowing cloak and turned just in time to see a black mass headed her way, aiming her gun she fired several shots into the figure as it shot past her and out a window, smashing through the glass.

Acting quickly, Jaynix leapt out the window after it only to land on the outer precipice of NLA. The walls of the Habitat Unit stretching up before her and piping and other support beams crisscrossing below her, the gel pool at the bottom.

_“Did I just…lose him?”_

Stepping back through the window she found Alexa waiting for her.

“What are you doing here?”

“Jaynix.”

Recognizing that tone of voice, Jaynix followed Alexa as she led her back a few rooms, pointing into one. At that moment Jaynix could see fear in Alexa’s eyes.

Bringing her gun up she took a deep breath and kicked the door open finding Doctor Benton sitting at his desk.

She lowered her gun, her flashlight revealing to her that the doctor was dead, his head and chest brutally ripped open.


	6. A Phantom's Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lead after lead has vanished, leaving Kruse, Jaynix and their detective allies in a rough spot.  
> But they refuse to give up, they will find the Phantom. No matter what.

The quiet, early morning hours were anything but peaceful in the Commercial District. Most of the Crime Unit stood up overnight following the murder at the textile shop and the attack on the MMC, tired and frustrated, Solomon could only yell.

“I can’t believe it! All our leads are dead! Are you fucking kidding me!?”

Turning in anger, Solomon grabbed one of the benches outside of the shop and hurled it across the street, the object breaking apart on impact.

Kruse stood by as Solomon continued to vent, he was upset as well. Everything seemed to be looking up only to fall apart so chaotically and unfortunately. However, the last thing that this situation needed was two men losing their focus.

“Solomon. This isn’t the end. We’ve been pushed back pretty hard but we’ve still got some things. Above all we have an underlying common thread. We’ve linked all the victims, we know how the Phantom is picking them. That’s a very good find, for all of us.”

Solomon walked over to another bench and sat down, shaking his head.

“Yes. We know that. But the pod? The one that was dismantled and all its parts taken from the MMC in the dead of night? All the camera footage is gone, deleted. Or the cameras were never on for that point in time…and Benton? Benton was looking more and more suspicious by the minute. During questioning I could tell, it was so clear on his face that he was connected to all this and…now he’s dead. To top it all off the Phantom got into the back offices and burned an entire box full of what is likely vital information AND the cloth scraps are gone.”

Kruse remained silent as Solomon closed his eyes, taking his hat off and setting it on the bench next to him. Solomon brought his cloth scrap to the textile shop’s owner, the victim, Ulysses Hill. He contacted Jaynix to ask if she still had the other scrap only for her to report that she gave it to Torrez, who no longer had it on his person, the Phantom no doubt having taken it after knocking him out.

In turn, Jaynix had to report about what happened at the MMC, the burned documents and the mutilated Doctor Edwin Benton. All in all, that was lead after lead slamming into a shadowy dead end.

“I know it’s not much but Jaynix said that she shot the Phantom several times. Maybe-”

“I had some investigators go down into the gel pool as soon as I could and they reported back nothing. No cloak, no body, no blood. Either she missed with all her shots or…”

Solomon fell silent, thinking over everything that the Phantom has done since the investigation began.

“Eight bodies. Add Ulysses Hill and Edwin Benton to my list of failures…”

Kruse sighed “We did what we could…I’m sorry I couldn’t help you solve this case any sooner…these deaths…”

Solomon looked up at Kruse “Eight lives...what have we got to show for it…”

There was silence before Kruse shook his head.

“We have a lot. More than before.”

Solomon waited as Kruse sat next to him.

“We’re close. Extremely close. The Phantom is proving that through all these actions. The way Hill and Benton were killed was rushed, brutal. Hill was cut up and Benton savagely ripped apart...we were on him.”

“We were…but all this. All that happened last night means one simple thing. Our two valuable sources of information are dead…Kruse…this doesn’t help us. At all. We were close. Not anymore.”

Kruse sighed.

“Maybe…but the Phantom wasn’t subtle, this all reeks of desperation which means there has to be evidence. The textile shop has its own security, not a lot but enough…and Benton’s being dead definitely means there is still something there, in the MMC. This whole investigation has been about finding ‘somethings’. This is no different, we just have to keep looking. Are you done, Mathias?”

Kruse sat still, waiting as Solomon pulled out a cigarette. Puffing out a large cloud of smoke he sighed.

“No…I’m not. Let’s catch this son of a bitch.”

* * *

 

Jaynix stared at the many burnt up papers she was hoping had some answers. Reading what was left of them was nigh impossible. Even so, what she could make out was just incredibly generic information about the maintenance and care of Mimeosomes and the gear at the MMC. Quite a lot of it seemed to be related to the MMC Surgery Pods, leading her to believe that these documents were used as a guide to dismantle the pod during the two hour camera blackout.

Regardless, it all seemed incredibly random…but perhaps that was the point. Throw the important documents amidst a ton of junk documents. Who could tell the difference?

She found herself turning to the space beside her to ask Alexa if she knew what was on the documents, only to remember that Alexa was back home. Jaynix had spent the night begging the Outfitter to go home and leave it to her out of concern over Alexa finding Benton in his state. It took a while but the Outfitter finally agreed. Jaynix took her home and put her to bed before returning to work. Perhaps she should have let her stick around.

“No…sending her back was the right call. I can do this…”

Jaynix continued sorting the burnt up papers as someone entered the room.

“Hey.”

Looking up, Jaynix spotted Torrez.

“Should you be up and about?”

“Heh. You sound a lot like Falkan. She said that I’m able but insisted I wait for my jaw to heal. Not gonna happen. The Phantom was here last night. Asshole knocked me out. Burnt up my work. I’m not resting till we catch this fucker.

Torrez pulled out a large stack of burnt files and began searching through them.

“What happened while you were here, Torrez? What did you see?”

Torrez thought for a few moments.

“Well…I found a lot of oddly placed files around here. This room is specifically where they store excess parts for the heavy machinery used in the MMC. So that’s the Pods and surgical gear…the room that houses spare mim parts is next door so…”

“So…why are there documents on the maintenance of Mimeosomes here?”

“My thoughts exactly. I was reading into it. It was all very basic and generic but…maybe that is why it was important.”

Jaynix crossed her arms “Was the Phantom studying Mimeosomes, understanding how they worked? If that’s the case…why? Was the Phantom planning on doing something to the victim’s Mimeosomes? Or…”

Jaynix thought about the Phantom’s own Mimeosome. What was the killer trying to alter? If anything? She looked to Torrez who gestured at the many burnt documents before them “Let’s find out.”

* * *

 

Hours passed at the textile shop. The knife wounds all over Hill’s body were closely examined. There was no resemblance to most of the knives in circulation, if it was a BLADE’s knife it’d be far more obvious. That said the Crime Unit specialists were able to put together a mockup of what kind of knife could cause this damage.

Kruse and Solomon turned as a specialist approached.

“We believe we identified the type of knife that was used…”

The man reached into his vest and pulled out his knife.

“It was one of ours.”

Kruse and Solomon looked to each other. All members of the Investigative Crime Unit including provisionary members like Kruse and Jaynix were given the standard sidearm and a remodeled combat knife.

Solomon pulled out his own knife, shaking his head.

“Of course it’s one of us…how else would the Phantom know about the cloth scraps?”

Solomon groaned as Kruse looked around. The other specialists now moving Hill’s body.

“I thought I’d vetted them well enough…not just me, Vandham, Nagi and Chausson gave the clear on the heads of the Crime Unit…how could one of us be a serial killer? Why?”

Kruse sighed, not liking what he was about to say but it had to be said.

“Solomon. You know I hate to say this but there is the possibility that the knife was stolen from one of the members of the Crime Unit…”

Solomon cursed “Which brings us right back to the fact that it could be literally anybody in New Los Angeles…perfect. I’ll have all the officers perform a weapons check back at headquarters. Don’t know what good it’d do since if the Phantom could steal a knife that easily, there’s just as great a chance that it was put right back where it was taken from…”

Solomon stood up and left the building, Kruse following.

“What are you going to do now, Solomon?”

The man looked around the Commercial District, thinking to himself.

“I’m not sure…I think I’ll start by heading back to the Crime Unit HQ and running a few orders through some of the other office heads then…I think I’m just gonna head home…I need to take a step back. I don’t want to but I need some time off…some time to rest my eyes and pull myself together. After that…maybe I’ll see something incredibly obvious…or something incredibly vague.”

Solomon tipped his hat to Kruse and walked off as the Harrier reentered the textile shop.

“Kruse. We may have gotten something.”

Kruse followed the woman over to the security desk. Running back the footage they saw the smallest glimpse of someone walking by the camera, twice. Once to come in and kill the owner, again to leave.

It was them leaving that caught Kruse’s attention. It looked like the long end of a coat was barely coming into frame along with a leg covered by black jeans. The coat…it looked like Solomon’s.

“There’s no way…it can’t be…”

* * *

 

“Solomon just messaged me that he’s heading home. I think I should do the same. I’m super tired…”

Jaynix looked up to Torrez as he let out a long yawn. Shaking her head she gestured towards the door. “Then go, I got this. You did get smashed in the jaw after all.”

“I’ll be back later, hopefully. This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

Nodding to Jaynix, Torrez turned and left.

Jaynix reached the bottom of the box which had the most badly burnt pages, nothing about them was remarkable. She turned to the piles that she organized based on the subject matter, then to the ones that Torrez neatly stacked up on his side of the table. Moving over she began looking through his the files he took before realizing that they looked…familiar. Picking a few up, she moved back to her side of the desk and found the exact same ones.

“Doubles? Why are there doubles?”

Combining hers and Torrez’s piles she found that there were two copies of all the documents having to do with Mimeosomes, a basic copy and one that seemed edited, barely visible numbers and lines etched onto the papers.

Pulling those out and separating them from the rest, Jaynix did her best to read what the edits were. Various values were written all having to do with incredibly high numbers and even ones that were even larger. What was this?

Walking through the MMC, Jaynix spotted Harriet and waved her over. Showing the papers to Harriet, the secretary seemed to recognize something and led Jaynix to Benton’s office, his body had long since been moved. She pointed to his bookshelf and pulled out a study of Mimeosomes. Jaynix opened the book to find pages talking about the limits of Mimeosomes, the fullest capabilities and potential. Taking one of the burnt pages she placed it on top of the clean one. They were one and the same. Again. Hiding in plain sight.

“That sneaky son of a bitch…”

The notes were not on the book obviously but the burnt ones told her where to look.

“Harriet. These numbers on the book are upper limits right? Stress limits for what a Mimeosome can do if pushed to its fullest?”

Harriet looked at the book and nodded.

“Yes. Granted, operating near full potential is not the best idea. It merely puts into perspective how effective Mimeosomes can be…”

Jaynix looked at the numbers then back at the burnt paper, the notes along it showed the same numbers and newly etched in numbers that were bigger.

“So…if this part of the Mimeosome was altered to perform 75% above its upper limit…what would that do?”

Harriet examined what Jaynix was pointing at in the book.

“75%? Along the upper chest? Not much…reinforcement maybe…upper body strength for sure. However by upping the output and tightening the coil, you’d also restrict the body’s movement. The mim would be strong but incapable of full range of motion.”

Jaynix pointed at the head of the mim in the book, numbers and lines pointing at all parts of the head.

“What about this?”

“Altering these elements will alter perception giving one incredibly sharpened senses but also making those senses far too focused. Sure one can see very far away but they can no longer make up anything close by. It’s like…hyperaware tunnel vision. They can see the finest details of whatever they’re focused on but nothing else.”

Harriet looked over more places that Jaynix was pointing at across several pages.

“These alterations all together make a mimeosome incredibly powerful but at the same time, they sacrifice any sort of mobility and perception…not to mention the level of technical expertise required to alter a mim in such a way. Perhaps Benton could do it but…”

Jaynix and Harriet stared at each other at the same time with Harriet speaking quietly.

“He was involved.”

Jaynix crossed her arms, thinking this over.

“If he was…and if he was giving someone these alterations, when? When did the acting head of the MMC find free time to perform these bizarre alterations on a subject’s mim? How was no one aware of him not being at his post?”

Harriet tilted her head.

“I’m…not sure…doctors always have to log their operation times for accountability and archive’s sake. Doctor Falkan oversees that. I can ask her if she wouldn’t mind me taking a look over the reports. Specifically, Benton’s times. Maybe I’ll find something.”

Jaynix thanked Harriet as she looked over the burnt papers.

“So let’s say Benton did give someone these alterations. I don’t think it’s too farfetched to believe that the subject of the surgeries was the Phantom. Whether Benton knew he was treating the Phantom or not is a whole separate deal. But what I’m more interested in is why? Why would one person have all of this done to their own Mimeosome? What is the Phantom hoping to achieve?”

The pair exited Benton’s office, sitting on the chairs set up outside of it. There was a short silence before Harriet spoke up.

“Those alterations all on their own and together are incredibly tight, a mimeosome would experience very specific advantages all around but with a lot of drawbacks. That said, if every element of the mim could be tied to a core element then the body could adapt to the changes. It’d have to be a single point of focus, binding everything. Forcing everything to act together.”

Jaynix began whispering “A single point of focus that brings the body together…acting in flawless unison. Overdrive!”

Harriet nodded “Overdrive! That’s what was done…if one can remove the limiters on Overdrive, they’d place themselves in a dangerous zone…they’d overclock themselves. Staying in that mode would grant them frightening power but terribly damage their mim…unless…”

“Unless they made all these alterations beforehand.”

Harriet shook her head “That’s such a brutish approach but all together…it works…with access to these types of alterations and overclocked Overdrive gear…one could do almost anything.”

“And of all the things the Phantom chooses to do…the choice was murder. Thank you Harriet. Thank you, so much!”

Jaynix began to walk away when Harriet called out.

“What will you do with this information?”

“I’m…not sure. I mean. I could tell Kruse, Alexa, Solomon and Torrez but…”

Jaynix waited a few moments before snapping her fingers “If someone altered their mim this much we could pick up on it yeah? There would be signs!”

Harriet nodded “Depending on how often they use that overclocked Overdrive-”

“Let’s just call it Overclock for short.”

“Ah. Yes. Well, depending on how often they rely on Overclock they could be worn out almost all the time, or at strange times. It messes with their entire body and perception so they could be prone to emotional outbursts…”

Jaynix began thinking.

_“That sounds a lot like Solomon. He’s been chasing after the Phantom…worn out almost all the time and he gets angry all the time but…so do I. No. It can’t be him.”_

“Anything else?”

Harriet tapped her chin “Protoplasmic fluid. They’d need a constant supply to keep theirs from stagnating over the accelerated use of it.”

“Which also explains the stolen MMC gear and draining of the victims. A vendetta combined with a need for survival to continue the vendetta. Okay!”

Jaynix started to leave again, Harriet catching her arm “Wait!”

“What? I need to get this info to the team!”

Harriet took off, searching through various pieces of equipment before returning to Jaynix with a rod and pointing it at her. The device gave off a few beeps before a blue light went off.

“Your protoplasmic levels are ideal.”

“Um…thanks? Oh. OH! Thank you Harriet! I love you!”

The two stared at one another for a few moments, before Jaynix smirked “If only I wasn’t taken, toodles!”

Harriet could only blush as the Interceptor took off.

* * *

 

In the dwindling daylight hours, Kruse stood in the Residential District listening to Elma tell him about her team’s current efforts.

“It’s so uplifting to see these BLADEs, several of which I trained, just…excelling…”

Kruse nodded.

“That’s how I feel about Mia. She was so gung-ho about everything, just wanted to jump into it all and I let her…maybe not the brightest idea I’ve ever had but…she strived.”

“She did. I look forward to the day she takes BLADEs under her wing.”

Kruse shook his head.

“Please no. If I see my Jr. BLADE teaching other BLADEs…I think I’ll cry.”

“Oh no. You will definitely cry, Kruse. You big blue softie…”

The pair shared a laugh, Kruse looking around the Residential District’s park. His worries and concerns didn’t even stand out to him.

“It’s good to hear your voice, Elma.”

“What’s wrong? Is it the Phantom? I wish I could be there to help you.”

Kruse thought to his rather awkward call with Alexa a few days back.

“In some ways…maybe it’s a good thing you aren’t here…”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

Kruse chuckled thinking back on that moment again.

“I’ll tell you about it when you get back. That aside…we’re close. When you do get back, this will all be over. NLA won’t have a serial killer to fear for a long time…hopefully never.”

“Never…yes. We can hope…Kruse. I don’t know what I can say but you always make sure to tell me that anything I say helps…so I’ll say this. You along with many close friends and family have managed to solve so many of the problems that have plagued NLA in the past…there is no doubt in my mind that you, Jaynix, the detectives and last I heard Alexa was helping too…”

“She is.”

“Then there is even less of a reason to worry about this not working out. I believe in you, Kruse.”

Smiling, Kruse nodded.

“I have to get back to work. I love you.”

“I love you too…”

Kruse put the comm device away and continued staring at nothing. They’d figure this out. All of them. Whatever issue comes up after the Phantom is dealt with…they’ll deal with that too. As long as they’re able…

“Brother!”

Turning, Kruse spotted Jaynix as she ran across the park, headed right for him. After catching her breath, she filled him in on everything she discovered back at the MMC with the mimeosome alterations, Benton’s possible involvement and Overclock.

She stood by as Kruse thought this all over.

“Benton…there is no way he knew he was treating the Phantom. If he did, I see no reason why he wouldn’t have told us all…he was an ass to you, Jaynix. But I doubt he’d ever go that far.”

Jaynix nodded, recalling when she called him out for being ‘in on this’.

“I was right…even so, he didn’t deserve to go out the way he did…the Crime Unit let the MMC take his body for an autopsy after they were done and the doctors concluded that whoever killed him…most likely the Phantom, used heavy machinery or some sort of tool to pry Benton open. But now that we know about Overclock and how strong it is, I think it’s safe to assume that the murder was committed by the Phantom using…well, these.”

Jaynix held up her hands as Kruse narrowed his eyes “So, on top of everything the Phantom is obscenely powerful. We have to be careful.”

Jaynix held out the rod Harriet gave her and explained what it can do, at the same time, Kruse told her about seeing what looked like Solomon entering and exiting the textile shop at the time of the murder. However, even after seeing that Kruse still couldn’t accept it.

“I’ve seen the look in his eyes. It’s the same as mine. These eight deaths. The Serial Killer. It’s eating away at him. I know it…”

Jaynix took a deep breath “Kruse. It’s possible he just knows that about you. He did his research and he is playing to your feelings to make himself…relatable.”

Kruse sighed “Maybe…but if he is the Phantom and if he knows that we’re on his trail…you and Torrez are in danger. You both suffered from phantom pains, the core aspect of the Phantom’s vendetta.”

“I’ll go check on Torrez and you check on Solomon.”

Jaynix held the rod out to Kruse, who shook his head.

“The evidence seems substantial enough…you keep it, just in case I’m wrong.”

Jaynix looked at the rod then back at Kruse and nodded, putting it away she looked the Harrier in the eyes.

“Be careful, Brother.”

“Believe me Sister, I will be.”

* * *

 

Kruse approached Solomon’s apartment. Knocking on the door a few times before letting himself in. The place was dead quiet. Food and a drink on the table, a blanket on the couch and his coat thrown across the back.

“Solomon! We found a lead!”

He continued searching the apartment, but found nothing.

Entering the bedroom he found the only thing off was the sheets, thrown aside like someone got up in a hurry. Eyes moving from the bed, they stopped on the computer in the corner. It was on and displaying some sort of program. Leaning towards it, Kruse read what he could…most of it went over his head.

_“What I wouldn’t give to have Alexa or Lin with me…”_

Closing his eyes he focused, trying to recall all of Alexa’s incredibly long rambles full of techno babble and jargon. Staring at the screen again he read the commands, it seemed everything was being issued to a remote receiver somewhere. The commands looked like movements of sorts. Movements for what?

Looking away, Kruse began searching the rest of the room.

_“There has to be something here…”_

He then found something in the corner, grabbing it he lifted it up to take a better look. It was a black cloak. Searching it he found new stitching along the end of it for two pieces…

“No way.”

Examining the cloak, Kruse found a small device attached to the neckline. It was a receiver. Placing the cloak on the bed he moved back to the computer and read through what was on the screen before hitting an execute command. Turning he watched as the cloak lifted itself off the floor and began moving around the room, billowing as it darted back and forth.

Kruse’s eyes widened as he remembered Jaynix telling him about how the Phantom shot past her and out the window. Except now it was clear that it wasn’t the Phantom, it was just a cloak rigged to make it look like the Phantom was making an escape.

“Son of a bitch…”

He ran the reports of the MMC cleanup through his head. Nothing was found. Nothing in the lobby where Harriet claimed to see the Phantom and nothing in the back room beyond the burning files and Benton’s body. All orders for deployment of the Crime Unit went through Solomon. If he had to, he could clean up anything important before ever calling the Crime Unit in…it was no wonder they’d never find anything.

Kruse had a lot of questions. Why? And just as crucial, how? Hill could’ve been killed at any time of the day, when did Solomon get the time to return to the MMC and destroy everything?

He didn’t have the answers but if he found Solomon, he’d beat them out of him. Stomping through the apartment, Kruse felt himself growing angrier.

* * *

 

“Torrez? Where are you going?”

The man turned around, the East Gate behind him.

“Getting some fresh air…I did nothing but toss and turn in bed and my room is terribly cramped…this Phantom thing just…I’m at the end of my rope.”

Jaynix sighed “Trust me. I can’t wait for this to be over. Let me come with you…just in case.”

Torrez nodded, waiting as Jaynix ran back to her barracks and retrieved her blade. The pair walking out into Primordia.

“Don’t you still have the pistol and knife?”

“Yeah but I’m much more comfortable with this guy.”

She gestured at the longsword at her side and smiled as Torrez asked.

“After I left. Did you find anything, Jaynix?”

“I think Kruse and I did. I’m waiting to hear back from him…but...I’m not gonna say it. I don’t want to jinx it.”

Torrez chuckled “That’s a great way to look at it. Here’s hoping no one jinxes anything.”

As the pair continued walking, Torrez sighed.

“I’m worried about Solomon.”

“Hm? Why?”

“He hasn’t been acting like himself…he’s messaging me about giving up on this case. Turning in his badge. Ending it all. It’s affecting him far more than I imagined…”

“…yeah Kruse said he was pretty broken up about all the deaths.”

Torrez nodded “Eight bodies…all for what?”

The pair continued in silence before Torrez groaned.

“I can’t keep this up…I’m not out here to relax.”

“Then…why?”

Torrez showed Jaynix his comm device, a message from Solomon being displayed.

“He said he left NLA. He’s ashamed of himself and I…I just need to find him and convince him to come back before he lets a Grex or something eat him…”

As Torrez turned and walked away, realization gripped Jaynix.

“We can’t be out here…”

Grabbing Torrez she guided him towards a dense gathering of trees.

“Jaynix, what-”

“Sh. I need to message Kruse.”

* * *

 

Exiting the apartment Kruse walked around the building, finding a trailer out back, locked.

He looked around the quiet nightly neighborhood before gripping the padlock and ripping it off.

“Pardon me.”

Grabbing the door he threw it open.

Inside was the stolen MMC gear, the fluid injection cable and a tank half full with protoplasmic fluid. Was it here the whole time? Right under their noses?

Kruse reached up and turned on the trailer light, what he saw next caused him to jump back in shock, pulling out his Photon Saber, the green glow filling the trailer.

“Solomon?”

The Head Detective was on the ground, several puncture wounds all over his torso and a slash cross his throat. One eye was bruised shut, while the other slowly found Kruse.

Realizing what this meant, Kruse felt a sense of dread and fear come over him, whispering a nearly silent.

“No.”

They had it wrong.

Pulling out his comm device he saw a message from Jaynix that she and Torrez were lured out of NLA by Solomon. Kruse typed up a response as quickly as he could, alerting the Crime Unit to the trailer and Solomon’s location.

“I…I have to save my Sister. Please, Solomon I-”

Kruse saw the faintest hint of a nod from Solomon and took off as fast as he could.

* * *

 

“Solomon is the Phantom?”

Jaynix hushed Torrez as she peered through the trees, pulling out her longsword.

“He baited us. He wants my eye and your hand for his vendetta and he wants our fluid for his life…”

“His life? What-”

“Sh!”

Torrez fell silent as Jaynix’s comm device beeped, pulling it out she hushed it before noticing a message from Harriet and a message from Kruse. No doubt the Harrier was on his way but what did Harriet find?

“Torrez watch the south end.”

Nodding the man turned as Jaynix kept her eyes peeled, glancing down occasionally to read Kruse’s message.

“I found Solomon. He’s not the Phantom.”

Jaynix did her best to keep her shock in but a gasp escaped her.

“What? Did you see him?”

She shook her head, addressing Torrez without facing him.

“I think…might have just been an Indigen…anything on your end?”

“No.”

Jaynix waited a few moments before clicking over to Harriet’s message.

“I found a few reports from Benton. Six operations on an unnamed male, he cited the patient wanting anonymity. The odd thing is...the mimeosome he was operating doesn’t seem to have a left hand. Does that mean anything to you?”

_“My left hand. I lost it long ago…”_

Kruse had told her about the weapon used in Hill’s murder. About the cloths being taken. The Phantom had to be a member of the Investigative Crime Unit…despite all the evidence seeming to point to Solomon, could it really be Torrez?

There was no questioning it this time.

It was.

Rueben Torrez is the Phantom.

Jaynix closed her eyes and thought.

Hideo Kumon.

Tai Alistair.

Sagis Fair.

Alto Moore.

Eren Hills.

You.

See me through this.

Standing she turned to Torrez and aimed her blade at him.

“Move and I’ll slice your head off.”

“What the hell are you doing?”

The pair stared at each other as Jaynix pulled out the rod Harriet gave her and aimed it at Torrez. She waited until it beeped and displayed a red light.

Looking up from the light to Torrez she watched as his innocent façade faded away.

“I thought I had you. I really did.”

Jaynix clenched her teeth.

“May Alstead. Geoff Parker. Misha Idling. Evan Torre. Raymond Penn. Erick Fern. Jaynix Copeland. Quite a list of victims if I do say so myself. The civilians weren’t much but boy did the BLADEs put up a fight! Hill? I’d rather not have killed an innocent old man but things happen…and Benton? I went in for a chat!”

Jaynix waited as Torrez shook his head.

“An innocent chat to phish for information…so not so innocent. I let on a bit and Benton picked up on it. I saw in his eyes the moment he realized what he’d done…so he had to go…all this is to say that my crusade? It didn’t really have an end goal. Then I met you. Jaynix Copeland. The Fiery Corporal!”

“Preying on those with phantom pains. Why?”

“Because phantom pains are real pain.”

Torrez brought up his arm, pulling up the sleeve and glove to show a prosthetic hand.

“I refused to allow my mim to be slander on my life as a flesh and blood human…this phantom pain…it causes me so much grief but I’ve persevered with it! I’ve lived with it where everyone else chose the easy way out! I sought to remind them! Remind them of the phantoms…the phantoms of the past that haunt us all…the pains that we can’t escape!”

“You’re a lunatic.”

“No. I am trying to save humanity from what we’ve become!”

Jaynix narrowed her eyes as he laughed.

“I had a lot of fun with you all. I really did. See…before this, the idea of getting caught never even crossed my mind. But once you and your ‘brother’ started putting things together…it just became…fun. Like I said, my crusade had no end. I merely wanted to kill until there was no one left…but you two. Especially you.”

Jaynix clenched her teeth as Torrez pointed at his right eye.

“You act as if that never happened. As if a bolt of lightning didn’t sear your eye off and half your face with it. The BLADEs I killed were strong but to think that you! The Fiery Corporal! One of the Interceptors’ best and one of the top BLADEs in NLA also suffered from a phantom pain as I did…it was like fate. Once you handed me my cloth back, I knew what had to happen.”

“You let us find you?”

Torrez tapped his chin “No. Not really. But I wanted to get away with it…so I’ve planted evidence, everywhere that points to Solomon being the Phantom. After I kill you there will be no one left who knows otherwise…I’ll be seen as the sole survivor of this horrid tragedy and I can go on living like this never happened…knowing forever that I killed you and showed the world fear. Real fear. And pain. Real pain.”

Laughing, Torrez charged Jaynix, the woman dodging his fist and striking his face with the hilt of her blade, spinning she cut deep across his chest before leaping and kicking him back.

“Your agenda is pathetic. The only thing happening tonight is me ending you!”

Charging Torrez, Jaynix slashed him across the chest again before kicking him in the head, throwing him to the ground. Rolling over, Torrez chuckled.

“Is that it? Are we just fighting? You don’t want to hear about my computer controlled cloak I operated from my comm to fool you in the MMC? Or that I turned my mim’s enhancements on myself to knock myself out so I looked like a victim? Or about the dossiers I stole? Looking through that room that may as well be empty…I think I spent more time trying to contain my laughter…”

Jaynix spat.

“I don’t care about that. Torrez, I’ve got you. For all your cautious moves, you let the wrong person find you. I’m the one person who will murder you right on the spot and not blink twice. Others will flash their badges and seek to put you in cuffs. But me?”

Torrez stood, staring into the burning eyes before him. He nodded with a smile.

“Fiery Corporal. Fitting.”

Torrez took a stance, Jaynix doing the same.

“You aren’t a fighter Torrez! I’ve been though some of the most hellish fights in history. I’ve seen and done things that you can’t even imagine! You don’t scare me.”

Torrez nodded.

“I’m well aware…I knew before I even began my crusade that most BLADEs out there could best me in combat…but what if I enhanced myself with the help of a prideful doctor seeking to make a name for himself? What then?”

Jaynix prepared to speak when she heard loud whirring coming from Torrez, she watched the frame of his body contort as a white glow encompassed him. He was activating Overclock.

Jaynix charged him and slashed, Torrez dodging her with no effort before striking her chest, the force from the blow reverberated across her body. Jaynix couldn’t even scream in pain, all the air was ejected from her lungs as she flew across the clearing and slammed into a tree. Falling to her knees she struggled to catch her breath.

“You chose the wrong fight. Corporal.”

Standing, Jaynix spat and charged Torrez again, he continued to dodge her strikes, hitting her every chance he got with his bare fists. Jaynix refused to step back, blade swinging wide as a fist struck her in the gut, pushing her into the air, leaping up after her, Torrez struck her again, sending her into the dirt and throwing up a cloud of dust.

Focusing on herself, Jaynix activated Overdrive and shot at Torrez again, her blade was faster but she still couldn’t make contact, Torrez’s blows continuing to connect. She felt her insides shift with each strike he landed, she felt snaps and breaks but refused to stand down until finally she yelled and ran her blade through his torso.

She glanced up at him to see that he was unaffected. Smirking, he gripped her blade and snapped it in two before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her into the air.

“Is that all you got? Corporal?”

The pair heard a yell as Kruse broke through the trees, his photon saber flashing white as he struck Torrez along the side a dozen times, searing through the mim and leaving burning marks. He was also in Overdrive but despite the appearance of injuries, Torrez didn’t flinch.

“Did you two find out about my augmentations? I left Jaynix there with enough time to put it together. The power at my command surpasses anything Overdrive could ever hope to attain…you two don’t scare me.”

Swinging Jaynix around him, Kruse tried to jump away only for Jaynix to be used as a weapon herself, striking Kruse and sending him through several trees.

“And here I thought you loved your ‘brother’.”

Jaynix spat on Torrez who swung her around again, slamming her into the ground and stepping on her, pressing down on her chest. She felt the air being forced out of her and gasped for breath.

Standing Kruse roared and charged back in, his blade burning through Torrez, but still drawing no reaction.

“Excuse me Corporal. Let me deal with your desperate ‘brother’.”

Turning quickly he delivered a fierce punch into Kruse’s chest, the man felt countless things within him break as he sailed through the air and slammed into a tree, which buckled and snapped in half.

Picking up Jaynix’s discarded blade and Kruse, Torrez pushed him up against the remains of the tree and ran the blade through him, twisting the end protruding out the back to keep him in place.

Kruse clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the pain all over his body which only grew worse as his Overdrive failed him.

“You’re gonna wanna see this ‘brother’.”

Torrez tore the other part of Jaynix’s blade out of his torso and walked over to Jaynix.

“Don’t you dare hurt her! I’ll kill you!”

Torrez laughed as he grabbed Jaynix by the throat and lifted her up.

“Then kill me. You have ten seconds.”

Kruse yelled and fought to tear the blade out of him with everything he had.

Jaynix glared at Torrez who smirked.

“Ten. Nine.”

Raising the jagged remains of Jaynix’s blade he continued.

“Eight.”

With savage fury he buried the blade into Jaynix’s right eye, the woman screaming in pain as he forced it deeper before ripping it out and dropping her body.

“Oops. My hand slipped.”

Kruse stared at his fallen sister in shock, unable to feel anything else as blue liquids poured out of Jaynix’s eye socket.

Torrez couldn’t help but laugh.

“Kruse and Jaynix Copeland. Two of NLA’s finest warriors. Defeated by a lowly assistant. Incredible.”

Kruse recalled Jaynix and Alexa’s talks.

Jaynix promised to come back safe.

Kruse would do anything to ensure it.

Anything.

Bringing up his arm, the mimeosome controls appeared. With no hesitation he turned off his body’s limiters as well as activating Overdrive. He felt everything within accelerate into Overclock.

With little effort he tore the blade out and fell to the ground.

Torrez looked at the Harrier and chuckled “Fighting fire with fire eh? How original. Well-”

Kruse charged at the man and punched him in the stomach with everything he had, Torrez’s eyes widened as he gasped in pain. Both men, covered in a painfully bright glow began to pull back their fists and strike each other with more and more fury.

Kruse could see the blows coming, dodging as many as he could but just as often, he felt their impacts, rattling everything inside him.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind he gave up on dodging and went all in, yelling as loudly as he could he struck Torrez wherever he could, arms, legs, torso, chest, head. The assistant was becoming more battered and bloody with every exchange, no doubt Kruse was as well.

Reeling back, Kruse’s aura became blue for the briefest moment as his fist sunk deep into Torrez’s chest throwing the man across the clearing and into a tree, the impact reverberating through his spine.

Falling to his knees, Torrez coughed, protoplasmic fluids pouring out of his mouth.

Kruse prepared to continue his assault when his body began to burn, rejecting the Overclock. Yelling in pain he fell to the ground, the glow leaving him. He was now beyond exhausted and everything hurt, yet everything was also incredibly numb.

Torrez took a few moments to stand again before laughing. He was in immense pain from Kruse’s beating but he was clearly doing better than his opponent.

“See? This is why I went to Benton for those innocent adjustments. You can’t keep up with me!”

Torrez walked towards Kruse.

“You were never on my list…but I can make an exception and smash in your arrogant head!”

Hearing something, Torrez turned around to see Jaynix standing, the white and fierce glow of Overclock covering her body.

“You’re going to fight me? Like that?”

He couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do your worst!”

Jaynix shot at Torrez, she was much faster than he expected, all his strikes going wide. Jaynix pulled her knife out and slashed deep into his right arm, she struck something and Torrez could only watch as his arm fell limp at his side.

Turning he tried to crash his elbow against her but she vanished, her aura now becoming red as her knife ripped into his left arm, now also falling limp.

A red flash ran around him, cutting through his legs, forcing him to his knees.

“W-what? You bitch! What did you do to me!?”

Jaynix came to a stop in front of him, the red aura around her making her look as if she was on fire.

“You shouldn’t have left me with those mimeosome texts. As powerful as you’ve reinforced yourself a mim is a mim and there are certain spots that disable limbs. All I had to do was get to them.”

Jaynix walked behind Torrez and sunk her knife into his back, right through the Overdrive Gear. The glow left him and he screamed in pain from all the damage sustained while he was in Overclock, throwing up more fluids all over the ground.

He looked up to Jaynix’s one burning eye.

“I still won…I gave you back your phantom pain…”

Jaynix furrowed her brow and pointed at her missing eye “This? No…this is something I can live without. I’ve learned how to…you’ve given nothing and taken nothing from me…”

She turned to see Kruse on the ground, looking her way.

“But you almost did.”

Sheathing her knife she pulled out her pistol and aimed it at Torrez’s head. There was a long silence, neither of them moved until Jaynix threw the gun away.

Shaking her head she looked back at Torrez, smiling before stretching her arms out.

Before Torrez could ask what she was going to do she brought her hands towards each other, smashing Torrez’s head in between. With the power of Overlock his head was instantly crushed to bits and exploded all over the Primordian floor.

The Phantom’s body jerked violently before falling over.

The red glow surrounding Jaynix died down before completely vanishing. She could feel her insides contorting, clenching her teeth from the sudden flow of pain she leaned forward, supporting herself by holding onto a tree.

“Jaynix…”

She turned, her one eye looking at Kruse as he fell unconscious.

Leaning against the tree she slid to the floor, her eye growing heavy before everything went black.


	7. No More Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rueben Torrez. The Phantom. Is Dead. New Los Angeles is free of the serial killer...  
> And now, Kruse, Jaynix, their loved ones and their allies return to relatively normal lives with many future events on the horizon...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much like Chapter 05 "A Spirit's Mistake" that implied sexual content warning is there for a reason.

A new day came to New Los Angeles, a bright, more optimistic day. The news of what happened the previous night was slowly starting to spread, the civilians and BLADEs of NLA breathing huge sighs of relief at the end of a ruthless killer, their Xenoform friends and allies happy to see worry vanish from the face of nearly all their human comrades. There was still much to do and many areas of concern but with the death of the Phantom…life was less fearful.

In the Mimeosome Maintenance Center, Kruse found himself groaning in pain as he came around. Opening his eyes he began blinking to get rid of the blurriness. Shaking his head, he sat up and looked around the room trying to remember how he got to the MMC.

Bringing a hand to his face, he continued to try to shake the weariness out before looking down at himself. He noted that his upper body was bare and now covered in surgical scars much like Jaynix's. Slowly, bits of what happened last night began to return to him. He recalled savage and brutish punches that he was exchanging with-

"Kruse?"

Turning, he spotted a doctor. A woman. Tall, she had long black hair with a few bright red streaks running through it. Pushing up the glasses on her face she smiled.

"Welcome back to the world of the living."

Kruse felt he should recognize her, but nothing right now was as clear as it should be so he started with: "You are?"

She gave him a short bow before introducing herself.

"Falkan. Doctor Iris Falkan."

"Falkan…right. Right. Sorry. I'm just…a little lost."

She chuckled "I'm not surprised. The condition you came here in was…not good to say the least and objectively terrible to be completely honest. Your mim needed a lot of work. Suffice to say you put immense stress on it and also took incredible amounts of damage...almost every bit of your mim needed to be looked at and operated on to optimal levels again."

Kruse sat still, looking at nothing as his memories pulled themselves together. He remembered fighting with someone…with Torrez. Rueben Torrez was the Phantom and with Overclock he had given him a savage beating. In response Kruse himself had activated Overclock and had an all-out slugfest with the serial killer before his body rejected the strain.

"You remember now?"

"Most of it…"

Realizing something he shot up to his feet.

"My Sister! Is she alright?"

"Ms. Copeland? She'll be fine. Her girlfriend, Alexa is with her right now. She should be waking up soon."

Kruse let out a relaxed sigh.

"Thank you."

Falkan smiled, pushing her glasses up again "We should be thanking you. Because of you and Ms. Copeland there are no more ghosts in New Los Angeles."

Kruse nodded to her as she excused herself and walked away, another woman walking past her and right up to Kruse, embracing him. Running his hand through her soft, white hair, Kruse smiled.

"Elma."

"I don't know why I expected you to be safe."

Kruse chuckled as she pulled away "You know me. I'm a Harrier, I think being laid up in the MMC after any mission is pretty routine."

"I suppose…though there are times I wish it wasn't. You and Jaynix have that in common it seems."

Kruse nodded at that, Elma sighing in relief.

"Doctor Falkan told me about what happened to you and Jaynix, how you operated past Overdrive and how you got hurt…despite all that it is very good to see you standing. Are you feeling alright?"

"Well I can move but everything is sore. I would not recommend Overclock to anyone, ever. It is exhilarating as all get out but the come down is not fun."

Elma crossed her arms "Why do you think we put limits on Overdrive. Maximum Overdrive is the maximum level for a reason. Anything beyond it…well…I guess the lecture isn't needed."

"No. No lecture. I'm well aware."

Elma smiled, giving Kruse a small kiss. The Harrier frowning.

"I'm sorry Elma. I'm sorry if I worried you. The last thing I wanted you to do when you came back was to have to rush to the MMC and check on me…"

"It's only natural that I worry about my loved ones…especially you. Kruse."

Elma took his hands in her own, smiling brightly.

"But I knew that no matter what state you were in when I came back…you'd be fine…and you are."

Looking at Elma, Kruse couldn't fight off a smile of his own. Nodding he kissed her before resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm glad you're back."

"I'm glad I'm here too…"

There was a short silence, the pair smiling at each other before Elma asked.

"Should we go see your Sister?"

"Definitely."

* * *

In another room and in much the same way as her brother before her, Jaynix opened her eyes. A sense of immense grogginess caused her to groan in discomfort. She knew immediately she was in the MMC and that only made her want to groan and curse. She hated being here. She hated everything about this place. Closing her eyes briefly she tried to recall what brought her here.

She then remembered Kruse, her brother, is he alright? Sitting up, Jaynix prepared to speak only for a coughing fit to ravage her. Taking a deep breath, she waited till everything settled down. Bits and pieces of the previous night becoming clearer. She heard a gasp and turned to find herself in someone's incredibly tight grip, it felt like they were desperately holding her out of fear she'd vanish. It could only be one person.

"Alexa…"

"You sent me home. You sent me away and promised…you promised me that you would be fine! You promised!"

Jaynix heard the crack in Alexa's voice and felt terrible. The events of the previous night all came flooding back. Torrez was the Phantom. They fought. She and Kruse were nearly killed before activating Overclock to turn the tables on him.

"I'm sorry Alexa…I really am…"

Jaynix sat in silence as Alexa's fist struck her chest repeatedly. The physical strikes didn't hurt, the sobs that escaped Alexa was what Jaynix couldn't stand.

"…being with me…it's a very difficult thing, isn't it? I never seem to learn…"

Alexa shook her head, still buried in the crook of Jaynix's neck.

"No. It's not. You know this. I'm with you because I want to be with you, Jaynix. Regardless of how much pain you go through I'll be there for you. I'll be with you. I love you, Jaynix."

Sighing, Jaynix ran her hand along Alexa's back. She knew Alexa would never give up on her, they'd had this conversation, this argument before, and Alexa made it perfectly clear that she was in this for as long as it'd go. She had faith that everything would work out, no matter how dire.

"I love you Alexa…and I have to apologize again…I never wanted you to have to rush to the MMC. Again. I never want you to sit over me and worry if I'll ever open my eyes again. I hate doing that to you…"

Jaynix fell silent as Alexa pulled away and stared at her. Looking at the Outfitter's tear stained face, Jaynix could feel her heart freeze.

"It sucked. It really sucked. Getting the call early this morning that you were here…I was scared. Then I found out Kruse was here too and…the thought of losing the both of you was only in my head for a moment but it kept me up all through your surgery. I couldn't leave. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't. Not until I was sure you were okay…"

Jaynix brought a hand to Alexa's cheek, wiping away the tears.

"You see me now. So tell me. Alexa. Am I alive?"

Alexa smiled and nodded. Jaynix prepared to say something when a look of shock and realization filled Alexa's face.

"What? What is it? What's wrong?"

"Jaynix…your eye."

At that moment, Jaynix remembered. She remembered the Phantom lifting the jagged remains of her very own blade and jamming it into her head, slicing through her eye. Standing quickly on unstable legs, Jaynix rushed to a mirror and looked at herself. She saw her left eye, red iris, yellow pupil. The same as always. Then she stared at her new right eye.

Blue iris.

Red pupil.

She blinked trying to make sure that was her eye. She brought a hand to her face to push the skin on her cheek up. Jaynix never shied away from presenting herself in public. Never. But one day she just looked at herself in the mirror, her body and saw how scarred and torn up she truly was. Showing that to other people…scared her. She never wanted to see disgust pointed in her direction…

With Alexa, all that stopped being a problem. She knew Alexa loved her no matter what. But in the face of this…change. She felt a little worry and doubt seeping into her thoughts. The one person whose opinion mattered to her, the only person was standing behind her. Waiting.

Taking a deep breath, Jaynix turned to face Alexa. Staring at her in silence before asking.

"Do you…like it?"

Uncertain if that was even the right thing to ask. Alexa let a tear fall, nodding her head she approached Jaynix and embraced her again.

"I love you, Jaynix. No matter what I'll always love you."

Jaynix nodded. Of course that's what she'd say. After what they've been through, of course. Alexa pulled away and stared at Jaynix's eyes. Red and blue. It was different, but the look Jaynix was giving her was more than familiar.

Leaning in, Alexa kissed her. In their time together, Jaynix was always the one initiating intimacy whether it was through hand holding, kissing or…other activities. Yet it was in the moments that Alexa took the lead that Jaynix felt truly loved.

Kissing Alexa back she placed her hands on the Outfitter's hips before whispering something in her ear. She watched with immense joy as Alexa's face began to burn the brightest possible red.

Any further action was interrupted by Kruse and Elma entering the room.

"Sis!"

Jaynix prepared to say something only for Kruse to embrace her.

"I'm so glad you're alright."

"Please. I wasn't gonna let that little shit be the end of me…I've got too much to live for these days."

Kruse pulled away, smiling as Elma drew near, placing a hand on Jaynix's shoulder. She looked at Elma and smiled.

"Good to see you again, boss. Hope your trip was a good one."

"It was…more importantly I'm glad everything worked out for you, Kruse and this whole investigation. I'm proud of you."

Kruse and Elma moved away from Jaynix, Alexa coming back in and embracing her from behind. Jaynix smiled at her as Kruse noticed Jaynix's eye.

"Well. That's different…"

Jaynix looked over to him before pointing at her right eye.

"This? Yeah…"

Kruse crossed his arms.

"But it looks good."

Elma nodded in agreement.

"It really does and it suits you incredibly well, Jaynix."

Jaynix bowed "Thanks Elma. I gotta admit it does feel…odd. But I can only imagine what they had to mess with to get another eye in there after what that dickhole did my face."

Kruse let out a long sigh "Eye notwithstanding, you look to be up to speed. Feeling off at all?"

Alexa released Jaynix as she tested her limbs. Clenching her fists and making a few short hops. Shaking her head she looked at Kruse.

"Not a thing."

Kruse raised an eyebrow "Really? My body feels incredibly sore…did…did the Overclock not affect you?"

Jaynix looked at her hands. "I don't know…I feel…great."

Elma and Kruse looked to each other as Alexa asked.

"Overclock?"

"Oh. Right. I have a lot to fill you in. But first, let's get out of here. I hate the MMC."

Alexa nodded.

"Some things never change."

The four exited into the main room, Falkan and Harriet spotting them, the latter waving at them.

Jaynix grinned and waved back "Hey Harriet and…oh my…"

"Hello, Ms. Copeland. How does your new eye feel?"

Jaynix stared at the doctor, speechless, prompting Alexa and Kruse to jam their elbows into Jaynix's sides, Elma laughing as the Interceptor jumped.

"Um…I feel great to meet you…"

Kruse brought his open palm to his face as Jaynix laughed.

"Um…the eye. Right. It feels a little weird but if anything I'm sure that's mostly cause of the blade being stuck into my face."

Falkan nodded "That was most likely it. We only have so many mim parts here. At the very least we found an eye of the same make as yours. There wasn't much we could do about the color."

Jaynix blinked "I think I could get used to the red and blue thing. Don't worry about it doc."

"I do have to ask, Ms. Copeland. We didn't…we should've asked this before or not done anything but is it fine that we gave you a new eye? We understand you've lived with one for a few months back on Earth."

Jaynix blinked before shrugging "I'm fine with it. One. Two. I've no problem with either…but this way I can see beautiful women such as yourself much clearer."

Doctor Falkan laughed before bringing up her hand to show a ring. Jaynix feigning being upset before putting an arm around Alexa's waist and pulling her in, smiling.

Kruse then addressed the secretary at Falkan's side.

"Harriet. Thanks you so much for your help during the investigation. It really went a long way."

The woman smiled.

"Thank you Kruse…I have to ask…is what I'm hearing true? Is it all over?"

The four BLADEs looked to each other and nodded with Kruse speaking.

"Assistant Detective Rueben Torrez was the Phantom. Jaynix killed him. It's over."

Harriet let out a sigh of relief as Doctor Falkan snapped her fingers.

"I do have one last thing to show you all before you go. Follow me."

Doctor Falkan led the four BLADEs to a stasis pod while speaking.

"Thanks to Kruse we got to him. Barely. A moment later and he'd be dead, one last victim of the Phantom…"

The four stared at Mathias Solomon in the pod, Kruse letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Solomon was one of the good ones, losing him would have been tragic.

"How long will he be in there?" Jaynix asked.

"A week or two…maybe more, maybe less. It's hard to say, he was gravely injured and lost a lot of his internal fluids. But we're doing all we can for him."

Jaynix looked at Solomon in the pod, silently hoping that he'd recover and nothing would go wrong. At the same time, Elma turned and addressed the doctor.

"Unless I'm mistaken you are one of the veteran doctors here and a department head. With Doctor Benton's death, they'll need a new chairperson for the facility…I don't want to assume but…"

Doctor Falkan adjusted her glasses and smiled "Yes. I am the new proprietor of the Mimeosome Research Center. The decision was rather quick and unanimous by the other department heads. I promise to uphold the values of the MMC and I hope to continue giving all you fine BLADEs the care you deserve…"

Falkan's eyes moved to Jaynix. "And the respect you deserve."

The Interceptor nodded to her before the four made their way out, waving to the doctor.

"Jaynix, why do you look so happy?"

She turned to Alexa.

"I don't think I'm going to hate the MMC nearly as much as I used to."

Alexa giggled, leaning against Jaynix who once again but her arms around her.

* * *

"Are you kidding me!? She dies like that? Oh come on. That's…that's…that's so sad! Terry Brooks! You are a monster!"

Elma laughed as Kruse lifted his fist to the sky.

The pair sat in the Residential District Park on a blanket reading the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara. Kruse lamenting the loss of yet another character he loved.

"I must say, this Terry Brooks was ruthless but in such an artistic and meaningful way. Every death carries such significance."

Kruse nodded "You'd think after everything we'd been through, reading about great and innocent fictional characters dying would be the last thing we want to do."

Elma shrugged "You take the good with the bad I suppose."

Two weeks had passed since the death of the Phantom and New Los Angeles was positively shining. Director General Chausson formally announced the Expansion of NLA with Project Civilization. The construction of a second and wider Habitat Unit further out in the oceans of Primordia was underway, the next big project for humanity. NLA was going to be busier and more active than ever but the end result would be more housing for more humans. Civilian or BLADE as well as for the many Xenoforms who lived in the city.

"So. Elma. I heard the Reclaimers are gearing up for another extensive trip to find whatever else they can as well as testing out some new diving gear from the Outfitters."

Elma smiled "Yes I heard about that. Chances are, much like the Lifehold itself, there are countless pieces of White Whale wreckage within Mira's oceans."

Kruse shook his head "I can only imagine…so…are you going out on this trip? It's looking to be another very long one."

Elma looked at Kruse "Yes it will be but I really don't want to spend that much time away from you so soon after getting back. I can be a little selfish, can't I?"

"Elma. I think out of everyone in New Los Angeles, you certainly earned to the right to be a little selfish. I know I wouldn't pass on time to spend with you."

The pair leaned against each other, smiling. Comfortable. Before Kruse couldn't help his curiosity.

"Chausson called you into a secret meeting a few days back…I know you probably can't tell me but-"

"I can't…or I shouldn't…but I don't want to keep anything from you. Not anymore. I'm honestly surprised you waited so long to ask me."

Kruse shrugged "I had to respect the fact that I wasn't invited to the secret meeting. I found it odd given every other high stakes thing I've been a part of…hell, I felt odd being there for the war preparations going into Oblivia…"

"You earned your place there but…the meeting was about the Lifehold Core. Out in Cauldros."

Kruse tilted his head. He hadn't thought about the Lifehold much if at all since they found it.

"It was discussing about whether or not to…move it…over here. Given how important it is, the feeling was it'd be better close by…"

"I would say so…though given this had to be a secret meeting I'm guessing there is a pretty vital reason as to why it isn't here. Or why they shouldn't move it…"

Elma nodded "Yes…there is…"

Kruse could see that Elma was worried about something. Smiling he leaned in and kissed her, catching her off guard. With a small push she was lying on the blanket on her bank, Kruse looking down on her.

"Don't worry about telling me just yet. I've said it before…I can wait. No matter how long."

Elma tilted her head "Are you sure?"

Kruse smiled and nodded before leaning down and kissing her again.

"Hey! Get a room you two!"

Pulling away from Elma, Kruse cursed, the woman laughing before whispering in his ear. If he ever told anyone what Elma had just told him, they'd never believe him. Clearing his throat and hoping he wasn't burning red he turned to see the person who'd called out to them.

"Solomon!"

Turning around they spotted Solomon heading their way. Standing Kruse and Elma nodded to him as he came to a stop.

"Kruse. Elma. Good to see you two again…though I clearly interrupted something."

Without pause, Elma spoke "You did."

Solomon apologized as Elma looked to Kruse and smiled. Looking back at the Head Detective, she addressed him.

"It's good to see you up and about, Solomon. Were you just let out of the MMC?"

"Basically. They let me out of the pod yesterday but kept me one more day to make sure I wouldn't…I don't know…drop dead or anything."

Solomon sighed before gesturing towards Kruse.

"I was told yesterday that during these weeks I was laid up, you kept your provisional status with the Investigative Crime Unit. You were managing them for me."

Kruse crossed his arms and nodded. "I was. After the Crime Unit learned that one of their highest ranking specialists was a serial killer and the head detective was near death…morale wasn't looking too good. At all. The Crime Unit is vital to NLA so I did what I could to hold it together, help them through this…I was glad to do so."

Solomon bowed "And I thank you for that, Kruse. That means a lot."

Elma sighed "It was an interesting two weeks…normally I'm the one out on long missions and he's back here in NLA. Being on the side that has to wait while the other does incredibly important work…it can be lonely."

Kruse nodded "Yeah. Sorry Elma."

"No need to apologize. You did it for good reason. How about you Mathias. Are you ready to head back into the action?"

"I have to be. Crime is something we have to live with but as long as we are there and working together…we can manage it. For the safety of all of us."

Solomon bowed his head to both of them before pulling out a cigarette.

"The Phantom is dead. Thank you Kruse. Hopefully he is the last of his kind for a long time…"

Kruse and Elma nodded to Solomon as he puffed out a cloud of smoke.

"Solomon. I have to ask…about Torrez. What did he do to you that night? The night I found you?"

Solomon sat down, Kruse and Elma doing the same as he thought over that night.

"I went home like I said I would. Exhausted. Upset. Eight deaths is a lot on your conscience. I tried to eat but it just…didn't feel good so I tried to sleep when I heard something pull up outside. I went to investigate and found that trailer. Opening it to find…well, what you saw. I was in shock and next thing I knew someone struck me from behind with immense force. When I came to I was chained up in there and facing Torrez."

Solomon shook his head. "I couldn't believe that the man I chose as my right hand was the serial killer I'd been after the whole time…he used the MMC pod's injection cord on me and was draining my body, all the while telling me about how he pulled everything off. He felt it only fair to let me know at that time…he figured he was doing me a favor. I wanted to find the Phantom, learn how and why he did this…so he revealed himself to me and told me everything."

Kruse nodded at that and relayed to Solomon everything that Torrez had told Jaynix during their encounter in Primordia. The Head Detective stating that, Torrez had told him all those things as well.

Elma crossed her arms "His fascination with Jaynix…that's unsettling and…"

Kruse noted Elma growing angry "She's been through enough…"

Solomon fell silent, he could only nod as Kruse put an arm around Elma. She was right, Jaynix has suffered far more in the month following her awakening than most people do their entire lives. Adding on a serial killer trying to get at her…Kruse could only sigh.

"I'm just glad she has Alexa…I can't help but think what this would've done to her if not…"

Solomon nodded "It seems Torrez didn't get to rant quite enough to our dear Jaynix. Given what I know of her I'm not surprised. She's more of a strike first, ask questions never type person."

Kruse and Elma let small smiles come to their face as they nodded.

"One point that stood out to me was Torrez and Benton's connection. Torrez proposed the idea of the mimeosome augmentations and Overclock to Benton as the sort of discovery the prideful doctor could use for his career. I mean, Benton has always wanted to try out more radical scientific advances and the like but test subjects are hard to come by…yet one fell right into his lap. As for the MMC Pod…seems that the Phantom held up and threatened Benton, forcing him to dismantle the pod and erase the camera footage…I can only guess Benton remained quiet about it at fear of the Phantom killing him."

"He ended up killing him anyway…as much as Benton was antagonistic to my sister, that wasn't a death he deserved."

Solomon nodded to Kruse, puffing out another cloud of smoke.

"I do have to say, one good thing came out of this. The chip Torrez attached to the cloak and the program he wrote to move the cloak around is incredibly advanced. I'm sure the Crime Unit is looking into it now…no doubt we can turn this technology around to benefit us somehow. We'll find a way."

Kruse and Elma nodded, the latter speaking.

"Heading to the office, I assume?"

"Fresh out the MMC but eager to work. Lots to be done."

Elma chuckled "Seems no one I know enjoys taking it easy. But given all the work we all have to do, I'm not surprised."

Solomon tipped his hat to them as he stood, the couple standing as well.

"Though, before I get to work I'd like to show my gratitude to Jaynix and Alexa…"

Kruse and Elma gave each other a look, Kruse smiling as Elma spoke.

"Today is a rather important day so they're spending it together…"

Solomon nodded.

"I see. Well then. I'll let them know later. Through a message perhaps. Kruse. Thank you again for your help. Elma. Good to see you…"

The pair nodded to him as he walked away. Kruse watched the man leave the Residential District, thinking. Having an ally like Mathias Solomon in New Los Angeles at the head of its Crime Unit, much like the other friends and comrades he's made, he knew this wasn't the last time they'd be working together.

Nodding one more time to the departing detective, Kruse bent down and picked up the blanket and books. Standing up again he turned to Elma as she held her hand out. Taking it in his the pair began walking back to the Administrative District.

* * *

As to be expected, Jaynix and Alexa were back in their barracks. Various sounds of pleasure emanating from the door. Whispered names. The occasional giggle. Sighs of relief.

The pair was on their bed, Jaynix on top of Alexa, the Outfitter arching her back as her hands held tightly onto Jaynix, the woman planting several kisses along her neck, her hands busy elsewhere drawing desperate sounds from the Outfitter.

Alexa looked up at Jaynix, the two vastly different eyes burning with the same familiar desire. Leaning down, Jaynix pressed herself against Alexa, a passionate kiss setting their bodies on fire.

Not to be outdone, Alexa's hands found their marks, eliciting a gasp from Jaynix. Alexa found the fact that she could do that to Jaynix to be endlessly thrilling. Coupled with the fact that she could see and be with Jaynix in this way, in these moments she was happier than she could ever imagine.

Smirk on her face, Jaynix looked at Alexa. Obviously impressed. Alexa winked back at her. With another passionate kiss, Jaynix made sure to let her girlfriend know that this was far from over.

* * *

Neither of them were sure how much time passed and quite frankly, they didn't really care. Jaynix finally found herself rolling off of Alexa, their bodies still burning and both of them breathing heavily. The warm silence was finally cut off by Alexa exclaiming.

"Wow."

"Yeah. Wow."

The pair looked at each other and laughed.

"We're so dumb."

Alexa shook her head "Not at all. We just really enjoy each other's presence…a lot."

Jaynix smirked "That we do."

There was a short silence before Alexa spoke.

"So…you're going to Oblivia tomorrow…"

"Yep."

"Is that why we did everything we did today? Breakfast. The techie stuff. Lunch. Missions…this…"

Jaynix smiled "Yeah. I wanted to spend every possible second I could with you before I have to go without seeing you for a week."

"I'd go with you."

Jaynix nodded "I know you would but with NLA gearing up to construct that second Habitat Unit. They are going to need you here. They are going to need your amazing brain."

Alexa giggled as Jaynix tapped the side of her head.

"I know…I just wish I could go see Ga Buidhe too…she's a great friend."

"She is! She's an awesome friend. I promised her I'd drop by and tackle some missions with her. Spar with her. After everything that happened. After us. After the Phantom. It's about damn time."

The pair looked at each other, Alexa nodding.

"You keep your promises."

"As best as I can."

Alexa recalled something and quickly rolled out of bed, throwing a few things around elsewhere in the room. Jaynix couldn't help but smile as she watched her naked girlfriend stumble about, confused.

"Found it!"

Alexa turned to Jaynix, seeing the look in her eyes and for whatever reason, covered herself up. Poorly.

"Seriously?"

Alexa grew red in the face as she approached Jaynix, holding out the object she found. Taking it, Jaynix raised an eyebrow as she looked it over "A Javelin? I mean…I'm not too bad with them but-"

"No. It's a Naginata. For Ga Buidhe. She expressed interest in my weapon designs so I made one for her. If it's not too much to ask…would you mind giving this to her while you're over there…and tell me exactly what she says. Word for word."

Jaynix continued examining the weapon before looking to Alexa and nodding.

"I promise."

She then put it aside before grabbing Alexa and pulling her onto the bed, the Outfitter letting out a surprised giggle before she found her lips otherwise occupied.

* * *

Hand in hand, Kruse and Elma walked through the Administrative District, Elma noticing Kruse staring at BLADE tower.

"The Phantom has been behind you for quite some time…are you sure you don't want to ask Vandham about Alpha Wolf? About Constantine? About you?"

Kruse looked to Elma.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know. On the one hand…I could find out who I am. Who I was. What exactly was Alpha Wolf? Who is Constantine? What did I do while I was on the White Whale? What kind of person was I before I lost all my memories? But the more I think of it the more the thing I told you once before comes back to me…I am the Kruse that I am now because this is me having woken up on Mira with nothing. I grew to find my ideals and my identity through all the struggles I've faced with BLADE. I made friends I wouldn't trade for anything and I fell in love with you. I have an amazing life…and I can't help but think that my past will only…diminish what this life is or change it in some way…I don't want that to happen…and above all…I'm scared."

Elma brought a hand to Kruse's cheek.

"You have nothing to fear. I'll be right there with you if you choose to ask the questions. And even if you don't. I'm not going anywhere."

Kruse smiled. "Thank you, Elma…"

With a smile she leaned in and kissed him before they continued their walk to the barracks.

"Besides, I've spent months around Vandham since I woke up and he showed no hint of ever recognizing me. Whoever I was before, regardless of the fact I was on the White Whale for two years, I probably kept to myself cause I clearly made no impression whatsoever on the Chief Engineer of the L-002."

Elma shrugged. "Maybe. But the Kruse you are now. You leave an impression everywhere you go. No one could ever forget you. I won't. Ever."

Kruse smiled, kissing Elma, recalling what she whispered to him in the Residential District. There would be no interruptions this time. Kicking the barracks door open he guided Elma inside, their lips never separating from one another as he shut the door behind them.


End file.
